Past Lives
by PirateBlacksmith
Summary: Betrayed and mortally wounded, Jack thought he was finally defeated. Now he has a chance to take his revenge on the man who murdered him, except this time, he has to get his retribution in modern times. Completed.
1. Not This Fight

He hated running away, but sometimes the situation called for it when there was no other way out. This was one of those situations. He stumbled through the trees, the blast of cool Caribbean air keeping him awake. He couldn't fall now. He couldn't. The tree line ended, opening up into the beach, washed in moonlight. Pausing for a moment, he looked around but saw nothing. _What had they done with his crew? With Anamaria? With William? _The answer couldn't be found, and he could hear them coming behind him. He took off again, hand pressed firmly to his side. He could feel the warm blood seeping between his fingers, but shook off the despairing feeling. He was Captain Jack Sparrow, and it took a lot more than one bullet to stop him. The sand slid beneath his feet as he ran down the beach, looking for anywhere that he could take a moment and recuperate. Just a few moments, to close his…no, not to close his eyes. He knew what it was. If he closed his eyes, he'd drift off to sleep and never wake up. Faced with eternal sleep, he kept moving, but it wouldn't last long. He needed to stop, and to catch his breath. Voices came from down the beach, catching sight of his footprints.

Captain Jonas Smythe had seemed like a respectable person, which was why Jack had trusted him in the first place. But trust had been, and always would be, his downfall. That was why Barbossa had so easily turned most of the crew against him, and deserted him on the island to die, taking his beloved Pearl. He trusted very few, and those were the few that deserved it. Bill, Ana, Gibbs, Elizabeth, Will; all of them at one time or another had proven that he was right to trust them. But still, he trusted to easily. When Captain Smythe had come to him with an offer to split the treasure of St. Croix, Jack had been cautious. But a few rounds later, the man had made a good case of it, and Jack agreed that his crew would help Smythe find the buried treasure for fifty percent of the profit. They'd shook on it. You never break a deal that you shake on, didn't matter if you were an honest man or a pirate. You never broke the promise sealed with a handshake. When they'd found the treasure and taken care of any British ships in the vicinity, Smythe's crew had turned on Jack's. He'd fought with them, but they were no match for Smythe's well trained crew, and fell quickly. Ordering the remainder of his crew to run, he'd waited until they'd gotten into the trees safely, before running himself. But he couldn't see where the others had gone, and he couldn't call out for them, give his position to the enemy, so he had just run.

Jack turned as he ran; looking to see if they'd caught sight of him yet. His breathing was ragged as he tried to hold himself together, to get away. Only a few more feet and maybe he could find a place to hide. If he could only keep going that long. His foot caught on something, and he stumbled. Too weak to right himself, he fell to the sand. His face landed on the rough grains, and for the moment, all he wanted to do was stay there. _Let them come. I'm not runnin' anymore. I'm too tired._ His eyes shut in exhaustion. He lay like that for a moment, before drawing in a determined breath, moving his arms underneath him to pull himself up again. There was no way in any circle of hell that he would allow Smythe and his crew to take him that easily. He pushed himself to his knees, then turned to extricate himself from what had made him fall. He wished he hadn't. The son of his best friend laid at his feet, on his stomach. The blood had quit running in little rivulets in the sand a while ago, Will's face pale in the silvery moonlight. They'd gotten him. His heart sank. If he was dead, there was no hope for the rest of his crew, for Gibbs, for Ana. Any resistance that he'd gained again left him, leaving him weak. He crawled a few feet away, shaking. This wasn't supposed to happen to him. He was the immortal Jack Sparrow, a man of legend in the Caribbean.

"This wasn't your fight to win." Jack's breathing nearly stopped at the voice. He paused a moment, before looking up at the speaker. She was a dark woman, her hair wrapped up in a handkerchief. Her face was lined from years in the sun, but there were laugh lines as well, and her expression as she looked down at him was gentle.

"Who are you?" He said firmly, trying to get to his feet. He still had to run. They'd get him if he didn't. This woman could sit here gibbering all she wanted, but he had to leave. He managed to stand upright, moving past her. "I'd recommend running. There's a lot of angry pirates coming this way." He threw over his shoulder.

She put her hands on her hips, watching him and his attempt to run. "Son, there's nothing left for you to do except lay down and die." She said, marching after him.

"What if I don't want to?" Jack snapped back at her, still moving. This was great, now some loony woman was trying to keep him from getting away.

"You are a stubborn one, boy. You don't get that this fight is already lost. If they catch you, you will die. You've lost this fight, this time. But it wasn't your time to win, either." Jack's knees collapsed, and he fell onto the sand, keeping himself propped up on one hand. The blood was flowing less freely now. He knew why that was. He could feel his heart starting to slow. The irony of it all struck him. He was going to die on a God forsaken island anyway. It was fitting, in a sick and twisted way. He took a deep breath, beginning to accept that death would take him this night. The woman walked in front of him, and he opened his eyes, looking up at her.

"Lass, let me die in peace." He groaned, as she crossed her arms. 

"I'll let you die in peace, Jack Sparrow. But not until after I'm done helping you." She knelt in front of him, taking his face in her arms. He may have been dying, but he still objected to being poked and prodded by strange women who even more mysteriously knew his name. He reached up to slap her hands away, but something compelled him not to. Instead, he just stared into her eyes. "You made him angry. The bastard son of a pirate and a voodoo priestess he is, and you chose to fight against him when no others have. That is both brave and stupid of you, Captain Sparrow." If he hadn't been so drained, Jack would have laughed in her face. Instead, he just glared. She gave him a dark look back, before continuing on. "He is the son of powerful magic, whether you believe in it or not, Captain. By making him angry, you've doomed not only yourself, but those of your bloodline. I know about him. Your son." Jack tried to pull away from her, this becoming too much for him. He just wanted to peacefully fall asleep, and leave before they got here. That way, Jack Sparrow died on his own terms, not theirs, and certainly not with this insane woman. He was terrified of her. She knew things she shouldn't. Like the nameless infant boy he'd left with the family in God knew what port. He didn't want children.

"Leave me be, wench. Let me die on me own terms before they get here." He snapped bitterly at her. Instead, her hands moved up to his temples. 

"Your descendants are in great danger, and that's why this is not your time to fight the battle. I'm giving you a gift, to fight him. The boy didn't fight me, and neither will you." She shut her eyes, hands rubbing his temples. He wanted to yell at her, tell her to leave him be, suddenly wondering if she had been the one to kill Will, when he felt the shiver race through him, and the chanting abruptly stopped. She let go of him, getting to her feet. "You'll know when the time is right." She told him, turning around and walking down the beach. "You'll know when the time is right." Jack fell back on the sand, drained beyond recovery. Somewhere down the beach, men started yelling back and forth between themselves. They were getting closer. He closed his eyes, taking a shaky breath. His heart beat slowed down, and he noticed that he couldn't feel a thing, growing numb. Almost like falling asleep, his head turned to the side, a peaceful expression on his face.

When Smythe's men got there, they found that Captain Jack Sparrow had made another of his incredible escapes. He'd escaped death at their hands to find his peace.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Mike."

The only response that came from the sheet covered lump on the bed was an unintelligible grunt. Danny rolled his eyes, leaning down and shaking the lump harder. This time he did wake someone up, but it wasn't the person he needed up. Nina pushed herself up on her elbows, looking over at Danny, then down at Mike. She slapped a hand on what she assumed was his shoulder.

"Mike, get your ass out of bed." She told him. "If Danny's standing in our bedroom in the middle of the night, you can sure as hell it isn't idle chatter." She said. Mike reluctantly pulled the covers back from his head, looking up at Danny.

"What?"

"The fence broke. Five of the horses escaped." Danny told him, looking impatient. "And all the hands went home already. I need help to go get them all." Mike let out a frustrated curse, running his hands through his sun lightened brown hair, before swinging his legs out of bed. This is what he hated about owning a ranch in the Caribbean. The numerous storms weakened the wood more than it would anywhere else, and these incidents were becoming too common for their own good. He pulled on his jeans and boots, then slung on his jean jacket. 

"Let's go." He muttered, waving at the door. "Wait." He lunged for the chair. "Can't go anywhere without my hat." He said, placing the time worn Stetson on his head. The two of them went downstairs and out the back door, making sure not to slam it behind them to wake the others in the house up. The sun hadn't even begun to rise yet, and a chilly wind was blowing off the ocean. Mike followed Danny into the barn where the young man had already saddled their horses. Chico, Danny's horse, came as he heard the whistle from his owner. Long John Silver, however, refused to come, no matter how much Mike whistled. Stamping his foot in frustration, Mike finally had to go retrieve him, mounting up. He caught up with Danny at the doorway, both of them giving their horses a nudge in the ribs. As they galloped out through the fields, Mike scanned for the break in the fence, where the horses had gotten loose. He soon enough found it, and his mood darkened considerably as he pulled Silver up when they got close. In the light of Danny's flashlight, he could see that the wood had not fallen apart because it had rotted through, like he thought before. The cut was clean, most likely done with a saw. He swore, looking around.

"Second time this month." Danny said. "Someone sure hates you." Mike shot him a dirty look. "Let's just go get the damn horses. I have to be up in three hours for chores anyway." He muttered, giving Silver another nudge and taking off down the pathway through the trees. A few moments later, both men made their way out onto the beach. Three of the horses could be seen at various spots on the beach. Danny clucked his tongue, riding past Mike to go round them up. 

"Yeah, I'll just go…look…for the others…and all…" Mike trailed off, as Danny went by him. He turned Silver around, giving him a nudge and galloping off down the stretch of beach. He kept an eye open for the remaining two horses. Of course they would like it down here. They loved running through the surf during the group trail rides. When he'd first told Nina his idea, a ranch in the Caribbean, she'd laughed at him. But two years later, she'd pretty much had to swallow that laughter. The idea had been taken to remarkably well, people enjoying the Caribbean resort atmosphere combined with that of a ranch. He blew out a breath, wondering where the other two horses could have gone.

He'd been so intent on finding the two horses, that when Silver suddenly panicked, he was caught off guard. The horse reared in the air, and he grasped for the reins. "Whoa, whoa!" He said, trying to get the horse to calm down, but he'd have none of it. Silver reared again, this time dislodging Mike and sending him flying to the ground. He landed hard, the air leaving his lungs as something dug into his back. He groaned, rolling over and laying on the sand, trying to regain his breath. Danny was calling towards him, riding over. Mike tried to warn him, but soon enough, Danny was lying in the sand a few feet away, although he'd had a better landing of it. Mike finally was able to breathe normally, and he sat up, rubbing his chin. He'd bitten into his lip when he fell, and there was a little bit of blood mixed in with the stubble on his chin. Cursing, he got to his feet, rubbing the aching spot on his back.

"What the hell was that all about?" Danny said, shaking the sand from his dark, unruly locks and grabbing his hat again. "Something had to have spooked them." Mike was staring at the sand beside him, and he turned to look as well. Beneath the wet sand, bleached bones were beginning to show, the sand eroded away by the tides over the years. He crouched down, his hand hovering over a dark spot nearby. He hesitated a moment, before digging around it. Moments later, Mike was sitting beside him, both of them looking over the old wooden compass. 

"I'll be damned." Mike said, and he laughed. "I think we might have found something valuable. Maybe it worth getting up for." He flipped open the lid, water leaking out of it. An odd feeling came over him in that moment and he quickly snapped it shut. Danny frowned, looking over at him.

"Something wrong?" He asked. Mike shook his head. "No, I just…wanted to save this until someone who knows about this kind of thing looks over it first. Might be a pirate's." Danny raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"Pirate.?

"I'd be on it. Found by the ocean, buried for some years. This little thing has got to be pirate, or my name isn't Michael Sparrow."


	2. Whispering Memories

_And this will be the day that you will always remember that you almost caught Captain Jack Sp…_

Mike let out a curse, hand slipping out from beneath the covers to beat the alarm into oblivion for so painfully reminding him that he needed to get up after less than two hours of sleep. He wanted nothing more than to curl up beneath the covers and go on sleeping, but he had to get up. There were things that needed to be done before the guests got up and going, and it was unfair of him to dump it all on Danny. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, uttering a groan. In the time between falling asleep after getting home, and waking up now, he'd had some odd dreams. The dreams were about pirates, no less, which he found amusing. Kicking the covers aside, he swung his legs out of bed, getting dressed in the clothes he had worn earlier, except for the jacket. Already the warm Caribbean breeze was blowing in through the window. He picked up his boots and headed downstairs.

Nina stood at the stove, flipping pancakes and talking on the phone with someone. She had one of those scheming smiles on her face that drove him wild, so he slunk to the table trying to make as little eye contact as possible. At the last moment, he diverted and headed towards the coffee machine. There was nothing like the smell of fresh roasted beans to wake a man up in the morning. He poured himself a cup, looking out the windows onto the barnyard. 

Apparently, Danny hadn't even bothered going back to sleep. He was still mounted on Chico, guiding the horse through figure eights. Mike also assumed he was lost in his own thoughts, as he was completely oblivious to the four young girls leaning against the fence, watching him with puppy love in their eyes. He chuckled slightly before taking a drink of coffee. Danny was a handsome boy, but he seemed perfectly happy to ignore that fact. His shaggy, unruly dark hair was hidden beneath the hat most of the time, although the natural golden streaks and the tan attested to his time spent outside. He had a good sense of humor and a need for an adrenaline rush most of the time. Mike stared out the window, remembering back seventeen years ago, when Nina and he had been going through the process of becoming eligible to adopt a child. After they'd seen three year old Danny, the deal was done. That boy was somehow the one they had been meant to adopt and they both knew it. He and Nina hadn't been married then, and still weren't married now, so they agreed to let Danny keep his last name, Turner.

He snapped his attention away from the window when two arms snuck around his side and the hands slid into the pockets of his jeans. "Good morning, Mr. Sparrow." Nina said, kissing him lightly on the cheek. Neither of them had felt the impulse to marry. They were perfectly content as they were, with each other and in love. They didn't need a ceremony to tell them that. One night, after a sinful amount of wine, they'd named off the characteristics they loved most about each other. Mike knew there was an infinite amount of reasons on that list. Her dark skin, full lips, beautiful eyes, and athletic figure. There had also been that feeling that he'd known her for longer than they'd been together, which was impossible.

Mike turned to face her, sliding his coffee cup onto the counter and wrapping his arms around her. "Good morning to you too." He said, before leaning down to kiss her. It was an embrace he could have stayed locked in forever, if it hadn't been for that pain in the ass need to breathe. When they pulled away, Nina ran a hand over the stubble on his chin. "I know, I know…forgot to shave this morning."

"I think you should leave it." She said with a coy smile. "Grow a goatee, like Danny. It'd look good on you." She teased, before pulling loose from his grasp to return to the pancakes. "Call Danny in. It's time for breakfast." Mike went to the screen door.

"Daniel! Give Chico a rest and get your ass inside. Time for food." Actually, he could have just said 'food' and it would've been just as effective. Danny dismounted, pulled the saddle off Chico, unbridled the horse, and slipped his halter on before turning him loose into the arena while he went to eat. He threw the tack on the fence before retreating up to the house. The four girls on the fence suddenly ran off in a flurry of giggles around the side of the barn. Danny gave them a startled look, just realizing they were there, before making his way up to the house. He kicked his boots off on the porch before entering in, sitting down at the table. Nina slid a stack of pancakes onto his plate and he reached for the syrup. His hand hovered over the old compass for a moment, the one they'd found last night.

"Still think this old hunk of junk is pirate?" Danny asked Mike as Nina finally joined them at the table. Mike nodded as he swallowed a forkful of pancake, and then looked at Nina.

"That little trinket right there on the table. I say it's a pirate thingy, and Danny says it isn't. What do you think? Honest opinion given." He said. She looked between the two men before picking it up in her hands.

"Well, I'd have to say that even though Danny is the history major, this does look pirate to me. Sorry." She said to Danny, putting it back down on the table. The click of wood against wood stirred something again in Mike's brain.

_Now, give me that horizon._

He shut his eyes, shaking his head. Nina looked over at him. "Are you alright?"

"Fine, fine." He gave her a quick smile. "Just tired. Lack of sleep will do that to you." He dug into his pancakes once more, his eyes locked on the compass.

There was a knock at the door, and Mike jumped up. "I'll get it." He muttered, walking out into the hallway to the back door. He slowed down as he saw the man dressed in the suit. "Who are you?"

"Good morning, Mr. Sparrow. My name is Henry Wendell, and I work of Mr. Joshua Smy…"

"Don't even start." Mike said coldly. "I've heard it from enough of your kind. You can go back and tell Mr. Smythe that I'm sick of his games. He has a problem, he can come to me." With that, he slammed the door shut.

"Mike, who was it?" Nina called from the kitchen. Mike ran a hand through his longish golden brown hair with a frustrated sigh.

"Door to door salesmen." He called to her, looking over his shoulder again at the door. The suit was gone, thankfully. He returned to the kitchen, picking his hat up off the counter. "Finish up, William; we've got some work to do before the trail rides." He finished off the coffee in one gulp, setting down the mug on the table. Nina and Danny were giving him strange looks.

"What?"

"Who's William?" Danny asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Excuse me?"

"You just said 'finish up, William.' I just wanted to know who William is."

"I didn't say that. I said 'finish up, Daniel.' I don't know who the hell William is." Mike said. _Did I just call him William? Why would I do that?_ He shook his head. "I guess I'm just tired. Come on, work time." Danny gave him a dubious look before rolling up the excess syrup on his plate in the last pancake like a taco, following Mike out the door as he attempted to eat and pull his boots on at the same time. Mike watched him for a moment before rolling his eyes and heading to the barn.

"Catch up when you're done with that." He called over his shoulder.


	3. Dearly Departed

After a long day, there was nothing Mike liked more than to retreat to bed and Nina. Tonight it sounded better because he'd barely gotten any sleep the night before. After the last horse had been unbridled, unsaddled, brushed, and fed, he and Danny had crossed to the house. Upstairs, the sounds of a classical symphony drifted through the house, bringing a smile to Mike's face. He threw his hat on the table, and hopped up the stairs, trying to be as quiet as possible. Creeping down the hallway, he finally came to Nina's room. He pushed the door open slightly, looking in. Nina danced lithely across the room in a pattern of moves with French names that Mike could never pronounce. She took no notice of him, her eyes shut as she flowed with the music. Then she stopped with one arm out towards the door. Her eyes opened, and she smiled at him. He took her hand, pulling her towards him. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and they did a simple two step slow dance. She rested her head against his chest, and there was nothing but the music in the room. 

When the music came to an end, he looked down at her. She tilted her head up, lips brushing against his in a deep kiss. This is what he looked forward to at the end of the day, what kept him going. After the kiss was broken, she stepped back, her hand in his. "Ready for bed?" She asked softly, a secret smile on her face.

"Aye." He whispered back. She looked at him over her shoulder and an eyebrow raised, He allowed her to lead him to the bedroom and push him onto the bed. Her hands went to the buckle on his belt, fumbling with it as her lips locked against his. He put his arms around her waist, his hands running up her back, moving to the hem of her shirt and pulling upwards. 

Moments later, theirs was a world of nothing but passion.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Downstairs, Danny was investigating the leftover situation in the fridge, determined to correct it. He pulled a plastic baggy with two leftover hamburgers out and kicked the door shut. After opening the bag, he threw it in the microwave and pressed the reheat button. As the microwave heated the cold meat, his eyes fell on the old compass, still lying in the middle of the table. He slid into the chair, picking it up and running his hands over it, a look of concentration on his face. Popping it open, he scrutinized the inside.

"It's broken. It doesn't even point north." He said quietly, talking to no one in particular. The timer on the microwave went off, and he leaned back, pulling the bag out and shutting the door. He hissed at the hot bag, dropping it onto the table beside the compass. The needle jumped slightly as the bag hit the table beside it, then returned to pointing in the same direction it had. Danny picked it up, turning it around and still the needle stayed pointing southeast, down towards the beach. "Still constant, just wrong direction." He was still studying it as he walked to the fridge. "Wait…"

The compass needle shifted slightly as he moved across the kitchen, still pointing down towards the beach. This was getting odder and odder. It was almost as if it was pointing towards a certain something, not a certain direction. He shook his head. _That's the crazy talking. Spend too much time in the sun and don't get enough sleep, the mind plays tricks on you. That's it._ But there was some indescribable force that fought against his sane reasoning. _No, there's something about this compass. Something special. If you never follow, you'll never know._ The more he thought it over, the more compelled he felt to follow it. This had to be from lack of sleep. He was curious, true enough, but he wasn't one to follow a far out whim like this. So what if the compass had stayed true to one direction that wasn't north. It had been buried under the sand for who knew how long. But still that voice nagged at him to follow it, as if some untold secret would be revealed by it.

The next thing he knew, as if by some will other than his own, he was walking out the door into the night. The compass in his right hand, the large search flashlight in his other, he started towards the beach. The needle stayed constant the whole way down the pathway, but abruptly turned the moment he was out on the beach, pointing to the west. He glanced in that direction, before taking off down the beach.

~~~~~~~~~

_"Jack, what's going on?"_

_"They cheated us, Will. They shook on the deal, but that wasn't what their intentions were."_

_"Smythe and his crew?"___

_"Aye, knew I shouldn't have trusted them. They needed our help getting to the treasure, and had no problem playing the part of dividing it up with us."_

_"Jack, what are you talking about?"_

_"He doesn't want us off this island alive, Will. We've been double crossed."_

Mike's eyes fluttered open. As if things hadn't been strange enough, that dream certainly added on. He shut his eyes again, the images still fresh in his mind. He'd been on a ship, talking to a young man who bore a striking resemblance to Danny. But it couldn't have been him. The hair had been too long and straight, and the clothes had been all wrong. But that answered the question of who William was. Whoever this Will person had been, he'd called Mike Jack in the dream. He could still feel the feelings of dread, slight panic, and frustration of betrayal worming around in his gut.

He opened his eyes again. Nina was lying with her head on his chest and one arm draped across his stomach. Carefully, as not to disturb her, he gently moved her head back to the pillow and slid out from under her arm. She muttered something unintelligible and rolled over, wrapping her arms around the pillow instead. Mike pulled his pants on, heading downstairs. He needed some fresh air to clear his head. 

Outside, it was slightly chilly, and he regretted not bringing a shirt. Returning inside, he grabbed a blanket from the hallway closet and wrapped it around his shoulders before returning outside and sitting down on the step. Nothing but the sound of the waves crashing against the shore was all he needed. What the hell was happening to him all of a sudden? The odd dreams and thoughts, calling his adopted son by the name of a boy who had appeared in his dreams? He pinched the bridge of his nose. Maybe it was the stress from dealing with Smythe. He'd been fine before he'd gotten into this mess with him. Then it hit him. The man in the dream, the one who had betrayed them; his name had been Smythe. Mike nearly burst out laughing. That's all it was. The stress of dealing with the asshole had been causing all this. It made perfect sense to him. His mind working through things while he was sleeping.

"Mike!" His head snapped around, hearing Danny call to him. The kid was dragging something towards the porch, taller than he was. Mike stood up, hopping down the stairs and walking over to him. 

"What the hell are you doing?"

"I honestly couldn't tell you. I had this strange gut feeling about the compass, and I followed it…"

Mike interrupted him. "You followed the compass?"

"Yup."

"The really, really old compass that's been exposed to the elements for God knows how long and is most likely broken?"

"Sounds about right."

"Good enough for me. Continue on."

Danny dropped the large piece of battered wood on the ground and kicked it over. Burned into the wood were the words _The Black __Pearl__._ Mike crouched down.

"Where did you get this?" Danny crouched down beside him.

"I followed the compass, and all of a sudden, it just goes haywire. So I took a leap of faith and started digging. I found this." He traced a hand over the 'B.' "This could be from the actual pirate ship, the legend of the Caribbean." He said thoughtfully. In his contemplation, he missed the expression on Mike's face. It was one of mourning, almost as if saying good-bye to a loved one. Mike's fingers reached out and touched the wood.

"Ye were a good ship, luv." He said quietly.

"Hmm?" Danny looked towards him. "Did you say something?" Mike blinked, as if he'd fallen asleep.

"What?"

"I thought you mumbled something."

"I didn't say anything." He looked down at the name. Somewhere deep inside him, he ached, as if what this board had once been a part of was something very dear to him. Something that it would nearly kill him to loose.

"Do you know what this could mean? That Captain Jack Sparrow wasn't a myth, he was a real person!" Danny said, looking towards Mike. "You could have a pirate in the family tree somewhere." He laughed. Mike gave him a weak grin. "Yeah…"

_Did he just say Jack Sparrow? As in what the boy in my dream called me? Jack? What the hell is going on?_ His subconscious was just as confused as the rest of his mind was.  This was all too strange, but he sure as hell couldn't tell Danny or Nina. Most likely would tell him he'd been working too hard and needed to slow down, take some time off. Then, as if to add fuel to the fire, a voice entered his confusion-addled thoughts, sending shivers down his spine that had nothing to do with the nighttime air.

_It wasn't your time to win. But it is now, Captain Sparrow, it is now._


	4. Revelations

Both victims of sleepless nights, Mike and Danny were only half cognizant at the breakfast table the next morning. Thankfully, the ranch was closed on Mondays to give the horses and both men a break. Usually, it was used for a trip to town to pick up supplies. Nina looked at both of them in concern as she transferred the bacon from the pan to Mike's plate. Danny's eyes grew heavier and heavier, and his head started slowly dipping through the bowl of cereal sitting in front of him. Mike was staring off into space, not aware of anything going on around him. Nina was the most worried about him. He'd been acting unusual since Danny had dragged him out of bed in the middle of the night to go get the horses that had gotten loose. Unbeknownst to him, she had been awake last night when they were curled up in bed. She'd heard him talking in some strange accent. Something about someone not wanting them alive, that they'd been double crossed and the name Will had cropped up. Wasn't that what he'd called Danny yesterday morning? When she'd confronted him about it before breakfast, he hadn't remembered a thing. She knew he was under some stress dealing with that loan shark Joshua Smythe. The man was acting completely unfair, constantly after Mike about getting what he was owed when Mike had paid him back everything. 

A sudden thump brought her out of her thoughts, made her jump. She glanced over just in time to see Danny's head shoot up, blinking in shock. He'd fallen asleep, and his head had hit the cereal bowl, knocking it over. She let out a nervous laugh, reaching over and pulling a few Cheerios out of the shocked young man's hair. Mike also snapped out of his reverie, looking over at Danny. A smirk appeared on his lips, and he sat forward, picking up his fork. "Up too late reading again?" He asked, spearing some scrambled eggs and shoveling them into his mouth. Danny rubbed his eyes, but for the moment, he looked more awake than he had been.

"No. Just that late night excursion got me thinking, and I was going through some history books in the living room till about four this morning." He stifled a yawn, leaning over to grab the dish towel off the handle on the stove door. Nina handed it to him instead as she placed the pan down on the stove. "I was rereading some of the legends about Captain Jack Sparrow. I kind of hoped that someone might have had the guts to sketch him and all. But I didn't find anything, although a few of the books had something resembling a description of him. He sounded a little…" He twirled a finger around next to his head. "…nuts, but intelligent. Not the kind of man you'd want to double cross."

_He doesn't want us off this island alive, Will. We've been double crossed._

Mike was vaguely wondering if he was starting to develop schizophrenia. Those voices he kept hearing couldn't be normal, could they? He picked up the last piece of bacon, chewing thoughtfully on it. Maybe he'd make an appointment with the psychiatrist someday this week, get his head checked out. Danny finished cleaning up his mess, and reached for the box of cereal. However, he didn't pour himself another bowl, eating from the actual box instead. Mike glanced over at him, popping the last bit of bacon in his mouth. "Not like any of us might've wanted some cereal at some point…" He muttered. Danny pulled his hand from the box, eating from the handful in the palm as he held the box out towards Mike. Mike laughed, waving the box away. "Don't want that now. It's got your germs all over it." He joked. Danny rolled his eyes, his mouth too full of cereal to make an actual comeback. Mike got up, stretching his arms over his head. "Wonderful breakfast again, luv." He told her, grabbing his jacket off the back of the chair and heading towards the door. "I'm leaving for town in fifteen minutes, Danny. Your ass better be out there, or you can stay here." The screen door slammed shut behind him. Nina glanced over at Danny, a strange expression on her face.

"Is it just me, or is he getting odder by the day?" She asked, looking out the window towards the barn. "Maybe I'm hearing things, but I could've sworn he just called me 'luv.' He never has called me that, and just now…it came out so easily, like he's always called me that." She trailed off, staring out the window at her lover. Danny finally swallowed half his mouthful of cereal, getting up to go outside. 

"Maybe he's trying out new pet names." He said, the words slightly muzzy from the food in his mouth. Nina quickly wiped the frown off her face, turning towards him.

"You're right. I'm thinking too much about this." She said, laughing. "You must think I'm nuts." Danny shrugged, and she swatted him with the dish towel. "Now move, or Mike will leave you here and I'll make you do the dishes instead." The threat got the boy moving pretty fast. He was out the door a few seconds later, and she turned towards the full sink, shaking her head.

Danny trotted out towards the barn, where Mike was squatting down by the front right tire. He came up behind him. "What's going on?" Mike looked back at him.

"Nothing, just thought the tire looked a little flat. Just shadows though." He explained, reaching up to grab the hood of the truck to pull himself up. As he did so, the sleeve of his jacket slipped down slightly, and Danny noticed the odd little marking on his wrist.

"What's that?" He asked, frowning slightly. Mike glanced over at him.

"What?"

"On your wrist." He grabbed Mike's arm, yanking up the sleeve slightly to show him. Now that he had a closer look, he could see that it was a little 'P', burned onto the skin like a brand. "That looked like it had to hurt."

A look of confusion crossed Mike's face. "I couldn't tell you because I don't even remember getting it." He said, pulling his arm from Danny's grasp and staring down at the mark. "That's really strange."

"Just a little." Danny said. "It's like back in the colonial days, in the East Indies, if they caught a pirate, they would…" Mike held up his hand. 

"I don't need a history lesson. Let's just go make our run into town so that I can come back and take a nap. Not sure why, but I've been feeling more and more tired lately."

"Gee, could it have anything to do with the fact that neither of us has gotten any decent sleep the past two nights?" Danny asked sarcastically. Mike shot him a warning look, walking around and sliding in the driver's side of the truck. Danny hopped in the passenger's side. "Actually, a nap sounds really good." He muttered, stifling a yawn.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Mike leaned against the truck, looking down at his watch. Danny was caught up in talking to that blonde girl from the colonial reenactment again. He rolled his eyes, crossing his arms again, knowing that he might be in for a little wait. His eyes wandered over to the row of stalls set up down Merchant's Alleyway, a street used as a flea market location. If Danny was going to take his own sweet time, so was he. He wandered off to explore the different stalls, maybe to find a little present to take home to Nina. She loved it when he brought her home small little things that he'd bought there. They usually had no rhyme or reason to them. Just little things that reminded him of her. A slight ways down the street though, he got the odd feeling that he was being followed. He turned, glancing over his shoulder. A dismayed groan escaped his lips as he saw two all too familiar faces approach him. He wanted nothing more than to smack the egotistical smile off their faces.

"What do you want? More threats again?" He asked, turning to face them. He crossed his arms, staring defiantly. "I paid my debts. Tell your boss to take his idle threats and his imagined debt, and shove them up that uptight anal hole of his." He snarled. The two men continued to smile at him. The urge to just hit them grew more within him.

"Idle threats are not longer idle." The man he'd come to know as Brick, and unfortunately the reason why he was known as that, said, that smug smirk still on his face. "Boss got tired of waiting. Since you wouldn't pay up, he decided that it would only be fair if he took something in return." Mike's eyes narrowed, staring at them from under the brim of his hat.

"What the hell is he going to…" The realization hit him hard and painfully. "No…no, no, NO!" He shouted, brushing past them and sprinting own the alleyway. People stared at him, running like an insane man down towards Main Street. They couldn't. They wouldn't. Not her. Not his beloved Nina. "Daniel! DANIEL! We've got to go, NOW!" He bellowed. Danny was immediately heading towards the truck when he heard Mike's hoarse screams. He got into the truck as Mike did. The engine came to life with a roar, and he peeled out of the parking spot and onto the road. Nothing, not road block or cop, could stop him now.

"Mike...Mike, what's going on?" Danny asked in a shaky voice. His knuckled were white from grasping the arm rest so hard, as the needle on the speedometer reached eighty. Mike didn't respond, his eyes set on the road.

When they finally arrived at the house, he knew he was too late. The screen door hung from the door frame by one hinge, the inside door thrown open. He ran towards the house, screaming her name. _Let her be alright, please._ The words repeated over and over again in his mind as if some kind of mantra. He burst into the house, knocking the screen door off its one remaining hinge and coming to a rest on the porch with a loud crash. Inside, the house was torn up. Plates smashed on the floor, silverware spread across the floor. The living room was no better, furniture knocked over, books pulled from the shelf and scattered on the floor, and the coffee table in splinters.

_No…not my Nina, not my girl…._

_The Black __Pearl__ is yours…_

_Nina…please be alright…._

_You stole my boat!_

_This is all my fault…_

_Borrowed! Borrowed without permission!_

_I never should've dealt with Smythe._

_I love you, Jack. I couldn't tell you before, but now…_

_The alcohol does a mighty fine job of loosening tongues, aye?_

_I shouldn't of…_

_I love ye too, Ana._

_Jack…_

_Nina…Ana…_

The voices in his head grew overwhelming, fighting for dominance to be heard over one another. He started to lose focus, dropping to his knees. The room swam, the voices growing louder. Her voice mingled with his, and memories of long ago pushed to the surface. He had known her longer than he'd been cognizant of. A lot longer than he'd ever known.

_I loved her before I knew her, because I'd known her before._

_Jack…_

_Ana…_

_Mike…_

_Nina…_

One last voice echoed through his head before his eyes rolled up and he hit the floor, everything going black. 

_I am Captain Jack Sparrow._


	5. The Sparrow Returns

Danny wanted to panic. 

He'd gotten into the house only a few moments after Mike, left behind when his arm got tangled in the seatbelt and had dragged him back. But it had just been a few moments. The kitchen and living room were in shambles, and there was no sight of Nina whatsoever. He tried calling her name, running around the rooms. There had been no answer. He was terrified that something terrible had happened to the woman he had called mother for most of his life. After finding Mike unconscious on the floor, he had dragged him onto the couch and sat there, calling his name, telling him to wake up. There had been no answer there either, and Danny was left alone to face this complex situation and had no clue how he could go about righting it. So he let himself indulge in some of that panic.

Danny knelt on the floor of the kitchen, grabbing things up at random and throwing them aside as he searched for the medical kit. He needed to get those smelling salts to wake Mike up. Mike knew what was going on, and he would tell Danny as well. Then he and Danny would get Nina back, just like how it happened in so many movies he'd seen. The heroes came in and saved the day. His fingertips brushed against a plastic case beneath the table and he yanked the tablecloth up, pulling out the medical kit. He was one step closer to not being alone in this. He could handle almost anything, even if it was alone. But this was beyond anything he had ever dealt with before, leaving him helpless, confused, and with no clue where to start. He hated that feeling immensely. The medical kit fell from his shaking hands as he tried to open it, falling open on the floor and the supplies scattering across the floor. He swore, diving after one of the smaller cardboard containers. Opening the box, he found what he needed. He pulled two little sticks of smelling salts out, getting to his feet and hurrying into the living room. Mike was still out cold, one arm hanging limply off the couch in the spot that Danny had been sitting in before. Danny grabbed his arm to put it on Mike's chest so he could sit down. Suddenly he dropped it again like fire, backing up and tumbling over the shards of the coffee table. The smelling salts tumbled from his numb fingers as he hit the ground.

"What the hell is going on?" His voice was a hoarse whisper as he threw the question out into the open, his eyes never leaving Mike's arm. Only earlier that day, Danny had pointed out a strange mark on his wrist, the small burn. Now…now there was a tattoo there where there once hadn't been. A sparrow, its wings outstretched as it took flight to the heavens, a sun rising over the open sea behind it. That hadn't been there before. He would have noticed it. Was he going insane? He'd been through worse than this, much worse, why was he cracking now? Danny took a deep, shuddering breath and climbed to his feet. He turned to find the salts, and instead came face to face with another person. He yelped at the shock, and when he looked back on it later, he was thankful that it had at least been a masculine yelp. The woman never flinched, looking at him with kind eyes. Her hand touched his cheek, and he jerked back from her. She chuckled and shook her head. Her skin was dark and attested to many years of working in the sun, and her hair was pulled back with a handkerchief. She looked oddly familiar, yet not.

"Amazing." She said, staring at him. "All these years and still looking good…" She laughed again, walking past him into the room. Fearing for Mike's safety, as he was still out cold, Danny turned quickly and darted in front of her. 

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" He asked, pleased to find that his voice didn't shake at all. She made a 'hmph' sound deep in her throat as she looked up at him, setting her hands on her hips. For a moment, he was reminded of Nina, as she always used to stand like that when she was scolding him. Like it had with Nina, the posture made this woman an intimidating figure. It didn't matter if he had a good couple of inches of height over her. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"My name is Cecilia. Maybe I should've told you that before I come barging in here." She laughed again, and Danny felt slightly more at ease with her. He didn't want to, but there was something disarming about the way she talked to him. But she gave him the impression that she knew him.  He didn't want to feel at ease. That was when she could take advantage of him. 

"Good, we have a name. So what are you doing here?" He asked, crossing his arms. She seemed to scrutinize him for a moment, and he noticed a look of disappointment in her eyes. Then she pointed behind him. 

"I came to talk to him." Danny turned to see who she was pointing at and jumped backward as he came face to face with Mike.

"Damn, you scared me." Danny muttered, feeling his heart thundering against his rib cage. Anymore of this and he was going to die at an early age of twenty because of heart failure. 

Mike stared at the woman, his arms crossed against his chest. There was an odd look to his eyes as he stared down at her. "Came back again, didn't ye?" He growled.

Danny blinked. "Mike, are you alright?" Mike didn't respond to him, coming face to face with Cecilia.

"What did ye do to me, lass?" He asked. Cecilia patted him on the chest, stopping for a moment and making a face of approval.

"I gave you a second chance." She told him, looking up at him. "Like I said before, it wasn't your time to win, but it is now." She pulled her gaze away, walking around the living room. "I like this place. Very homey." She stopped at the pictures, gazing over the smiling faces. Pictures of the whole family: Mike, Nina, and Danny. There were pictures of Mike teaching a young Danny to ride, of Nina dancing, and of Mike and Nina sharing a moment. Her fingers tapped against her lip thoughtfully. "Worked out just fine." She said to herself, turning around. Her gaze went from Mike to Danny, then back again. "The family is all together again."

"Again?" Danny asked weakly. "What the hell is going on? Mike, what's wrong with your…"

"I'm not Mike." He was, still watching Cecilia. Danny looked towards him.

"What…?"

"The name is Jack…Captain Jack Sparrow, savvy?" He turned towards the boy and smirked crookedly. "I'm back."

"No, you have head damage." Danny said slowly, his voice shaking slightly.

"Been told that too." He looked up and down Danny. "Ye look just like him."

"Should be him." Cecilia smacked Danny lightly in the forehead. "Apparently it didn't work on him as well as it did you." She muttered, looking over him like he was a broken toy.

Jack crossed his arms. "Yer a voodoo woman." He said.

Cecilia grinned at him. "Of course, boy. You think that people get second chances like this all the time? A second chance at life, a second chance at love, a second chance for revenge?" She caught the look on his face. "Smythe is back, Captain Sparrow. He's got your lass, and he wants what is his."

"Well, he's not bloody gettin' it, but I'm gettin' her back." Jack growled. Danny slunk to the couch, sitting down heavily and holding his head in his hands.

"This isn't happening. I'm going insane." He muttered to himself, squeezing his eyes shut. "I've gone absolutely howling mad." Cecilia noticed him, nodding her head towards him. Jack shot her a look before walking over to Danny.

"Ye ok, lad…" Danny cut him off.

"No, I am not ok! First, Nina gets kidnapped, then you pass out and wake up thinking your this pirate captain, and this woman shows up and tells me that I'm not who I'm supposed to be and I'm so damn confused right now and…" He threw his hands up in the air in frustration.

"Well…that's terrible. Ye don't say ye could help me out, do ye?" Jack asked. Danny looked up at him, and he gave him a hopeful smile. Looking at him, Danny couldn't see anything that he remembered about Mike. An insane intelligence now blazed in his eyes, and his hand motions were strange and erratic. He didn't have Mike's laid back bearing about him either. Either Mike was doing one hell of an acting job, or he got hit hard on the head when he fell, or this was real. He was seriously hoping that it wasn't the third option. Then he would have to own up to magic and voodoo and the supernatural existing. 

"Fine…" He said finally, his voice low and calmer than it had been, a tired tone to it. "What do you need me to do?" Jack clapped his hands together.  
  
"That's the spirit, Will…er, lad."

"Danny. My name is Danny."

"Right, Danny." Jack turned to Cecilia. At first he'd been angry at this woman, that she had made dying in peace almost impossible for him. But here he was now, alive and given a second chance to get revenge on the man who had betrayed him and killed everything he loved. It was just what he wanted. 

Cecilia held up a finger. "Before you come asking me for help, just stop right there. I'm just some old lady who knows some magic. I don't know where murderers lay their heads at night. That's up to you and the boy to find out." She told him. With that said, she shuffled towards the door. "Glad you finally woke up, Captain. Took you long enough. I've been calling to you for the past few days since you found that compass, but it was like you were fighting it." She paused for a moment, then headed to the couch Danny was sitting on. He made to stand up, and she put a hand on his shoulder. "Your time is coming, lad. I feel it in you." With that, she kissed him lightly on the forehead…

_The pain that wracked his body was horrible. He tried to pull in a breath and nearly screamed in anguish as fresh waves of pain shot through his body. He was going to die alone on this beach, far from his friends, far from __Elizabeth__. His mind stopped on her. The woman he loved so dearly that he would risk his life to rescue her. He'd do anything for her. Including coming on this venture with Jack, so he would have the money when he approached her father to ask him for his blessing in their marriage. To show that he could provide for her and take care of her._

_His fingers tightened into a fist, his hands full of sand. He clenched his teeth, trying not to call out  to let them know where he was. He'd gotten this far. Where was Jack? Where was Anna, or Gibbs, or Cotton, or any of the crew? Had they gotten away?_

_"Shhh, little one.__ Rest now." The voice came out of nowhere, and he opened his eyes, twisting his head to look upwards from his position on the sand. He was on his stomach, blood staining the sand beneath red. God, he didn't want to die this way. Not so far away like this, where he couldn't say good-bye to __Elizabeth__. His eyes fell on the woman standing before him, holding her skirts in her hand. She knelt, putting a hand on his forehead. "Time to sleep now, little one. He's going to need you, and you're going to need your strength." She smiled kindly at him. "Sleep." He drew in a deep breath, another shudder wracking his body as he laid his head wearily on the sand. His breath started to become slower and more even now, and his eyes grew heavy._

Elizabeth, I love you. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you.

_He drew in a breath, and began to feel himself slip away into a quiet black oblivion. Slowly the sounds of the waves against the sand and the sound of the wind faded out, until nothing was left but his own heartbeat. The rhythm became slower and slower, and he let the breath go. His mind drifted away as his heart stopped completely, and his last thought was for the woman he would always love._

Danny jerked back from her, gasping. _What the hell was that?_ He stared up at her, and she back at him. She was in that vision, telling him to go to sleep. He'd felt the pain, the fear and terror of dying, felt his heart slowing down.

"What did you…?" She pressed a finger to his lips.

"Just something to think about." She told him quietly, before standing up straight and walking towards the door. Once she was there, she stopped and turned, looking at them both. "My work here is done. I think this woman needs her nap time." She gave a hearty laugh as she walked out the door. Danny could hear that laugh all the way down the driveway, listening till it finally faded into the night. He became aware of Mi…_Jack, it's Jack now_…staring at him. He glanced over at the man he had once called father, his face pale.

Jack threw the keys to the truck in the air and caught them. "What do ye say we go rescue my lass?" He said with a smirk.

All Danny could do was nod.


	6. Past Revisited

Jack strode out onto the front porch. Despite the show he had put on in there, he didn't feel fine just quite yet. The rush of two sets of memories coming down on him at once was more than a little overwhelming. He sat on the swing and held his head in his hands, waiting for the black spots to stop dancing in front of his eyes. Everything that was Mike was Jack, and everything that was Jack was Mike, despite the personality differences. He remembered everything Mike had ever done in addition to his own memories, and that made things a little crowded. He needed a moment. But that wasn't possible, so it seemed. "What do ye want?" He looked up at Danny, standing just outside the doorway with his arms hugged tightly to his chest.

"Are you ok?" Danny asked tentatively.  Every time Jack looked at him, he remembered Will. The two were the same in appearance, despite the differences of the era each had lived in. He glanced up at the younger man, giving him a crooked smile.

"Of course. Just needed a few moments to let the thoughts clear up." He responded. Danny was still watching him with a guarded expression. This had to be extremely confusing to him, but it was just as much so for Jack.  The worst part was, when the memories of Jack and Mike had combined, so had certain personality aspects. If he wanted to, he could act just like Mike. That would come in handy when he needed to go into public, but there were also other things, like feeling the need to be fatherly to Danny. Jack had never been the fatherly type, and he didn't intend to start now.

"Oh." After a few moments of very tense silence, he spoke up. "Are you possessing Mike?" He said bluntly. The simple question provoked the pirate to start laughing.

"Possessin' him? I am him." He noticed Danny's look of confusion. "Let me explain this to ye before we go bargin' into anythin'." Danny leaned against one of the posts of the porch, listening in. "My name is Captain Jack Sparrow, formerly of a different century. I had a ship named the Black Pearl, a good crew, and yes, we were pirates. The most feared in the Caribbean, so it wasn't a wonder that one Captain Jonas Smythe heard my reputation and come calling for my help. He approached me one night at the Faithful Bride Tavern in Tortuga, and offered me half the treasure if I helped him find it. Young kid, I'm guessing about twenty five or so he was. So I took it. We all had a code we kept to, and the deal was made fair and square. I told my crew, and we were joined by an unexpected guest. The son of my dead best friend. His name was William Turner." He glanced over to see a slight expression of shock cross Danny's face. "He wanted to ask the Governor for his daughter's hand in marriage. Inseparable those two were, but the Governor wouldn't here of a lowly blacksmith's apprentice marryin' his daughter, so he sets high standards for Will. He tells 'im he doesn't earn enough money for Will to support himself and Elizabeth. So he gets the bright idea to join me on a voyage to make some money quick, despite the fact that he was still reluctant to accept his pirate roots. Long story short, the two of us went lookin' for a missin' crew member of mine one night. We found him too. Shot dead by two of Smythe's crew because he overheard them talkin'. They had a plan to kill me and my crew, to take our share. They had never planned to share in the first place. So between the two of us, we hid it on the island. Smythe wasn't too happy about that. He sent his men after us. We were outgunned two to one." His grip on the arm of the swing tightened as he talked, his eyes cold. "They tracked down my crew and shot them like animals. Shot me in the stomach. I just barely found my way out to the beach, trying to get away. But luck wasn't mine to have that night, and I tripped over a body. Will's dead body. Right then and there I knew it was over. Everyone else was dead and gone, and I was dyin'. That's when the lady from the livin' room appears to me, tells me that it wasn't my time to win, but it would be. I thought she was spoutin' a bunch of gibberish, but here I be."

"Reincarnation?" Danny spoke up. "Unfinished karmic business? Resurrection?" 

"Voodoo."

"Voodoo?"

"Aye, voodoo." Jack muttered. "Jonas Smythe was the bastard son of a voodoo priestess and a pirate, and he was good with the magic. I just happened to gain the favor of a woman who knew some voodoo herself. Now I get a second chance at making that son of a bitch pay." He stood up, walking towards Danny. "This whole thing was a message from him. He's got Nina, and he wants to make a trade, most likely stab me in the back if I did make the trade."

Danny followed him as they walked down the steps and towards the truck. "You're not going to trade? He'll kill Nina!" Jack stopped suddenly and turned, and Danny had to stop suddenly as well before he ran into Jack.

"Look, I've dealt with this man before, not you. So it's my word we'll be trusting, savvy?" He asked, looking Danny straight in the face. Again he was strongly reminded of the blacksmith from Port Royal. Danny looked back at him, chin up and a defiant look on his face. He was almost tempted to tell him not to do anything stupid.

"Fine." Danny said archly, breaking eye contact first and marching towards the truck. Jack growled a curse under his breath before following him. Here he was, going into battle with a powerful enemy and he would have liked to have one ally at his back. Instead he got a stubborn twenty year old with an attitude problem that didn't entirely trust him. He didn't like where this was going at all. 

Danny knelt down by the tires, and then stood up again, slamming a hand against the back end of the truck and cursing. Jack paused. "What?"

"Someone cut the two back tires." Danny growled, turning to face him. "Most likely _your_ enemies, coming here to cause _you_ trouble." He shouted. "This is all your damn fault because you couldn't stay dead!" He aimed another kick at the tires just as Jack grabbed his arm.

"Save some of that anger." He muttered, looking over Danny's shoulder. Danny turned as well, groaning as he caught sight of the three men coming out of the barn towards them. 

"Guns. Guns I can handle. Swords, that's not fair." Danny said, glancing back at Jack. Jack pushed him back towards the truck. 

"Get the tire jack out of the truck bed." He muttered. Danny moved into action surprisingly fast, putting a foot up on the tire and hopping into the bed. He threw stuff around, finally finding the tire iron and throwing it to Jack, just as one of the men attacked.

"Remember! Smythe wants them alive!" Danny was about to retort when two arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him from the truck bed to the ground. He hit the ground, coughing as the wind was knocked from his lungs.

Jack brought the tire iron up, blocking the downward strike of his attacker. "Proficiency with a blade, in this day and age? I'd say Smythe wasn't the only person to come back." Jack growled, kicking the attacker away. The man laughed.

"Aye, and he's quite glad to know you're back. You gave him the slip for a little while. Couldn't figure out where your soul had gone." Jack rolled his eyes and swung again. Meanwhile, Danny scrambled away from the cutlass, sliding under the truck and out the other side. He got to his feet, turning around to mock the attacker on the other side.

"Takes more than that to…" He turned, just in time to catch a shovel in the side of the face. By the time he hit the ground, he was out cold. Jack heard the metallic clang, and against his better judgment, turned towards the sound. The shovel came down across his wrist, and he dropped the tire iron. Immediately he was restrained by the other two.

The man laughed as Jack struggled uselessly. "Get him in the car and make sure he's tied up well, then put the kid in there."

Jack cursed at him angrily as he was dragged away.


	7. Enemies and Allies

If there was one thing about the twenty first century that Jack had taken an immediate disliking too, it was duck tape. In the backseat of the car, he strained to break it apart, but it refused to give. The sadistic bastards had decided it would be funnier if they taped him up instead of tying him up. Besides that, he didn't have enough room to properly wiggle. Danny was taking up half the backseat, and he wasn't moving anywhere as he was out cold. Jack tried to stretch one leg and keep the other in place to see if he could strain the tape, but ended up accidentally kicking Danny in the arm.

"Unh…" He moaned, curling up in a smaller ball in the corner of the seat. Jack made a face as he saw the side of Danny's forehead, bruising up. The two up front driving took no notice of Jack's struggling, seemingly content in their belief that he wouldn't get loose. He gave up for the moment, instead sliding to the floor between the back seat and the front seat and sliding towards Danny. Creating an awkward position for himself, he lifted his feet, and rocked Danny's shoulder. 

"Hey lad. Wake up." Jack told him. Suddenly he was swatted upside the back of the head from the pirate in the passenger's side seat.

"Shut up." He snapped, before turning back around. Jack shot him a dark look, swearing to himself that he would remember him and he would die painfully when the time came. He put his feet down, peering intently at Danny. He wished he could find some tell tale sign that Will would be appearing sometime soon. It would be reassuring to know that he'd have someone at his back, but at the moment, he was stuck all on his onesies. He tried to pull his hands apart again, but the tape held firm. With a groan, he laid back against the door, laying his head down on his arms.

A while later, the car pulled to a stop and both men got out. Jack looked up, noticing that night had fallen during the trip. He didn't have long to dwell on it as the car door behind him opened and he fell backwards onto the ground. Someone's boot made contact with his stomach, and he curled up into a ball with a groan. When he got out of this, not if, but when, he would make sure every one of them paid dearly for what they were doing to him. One man knelt down, cautious to stay as far away as he could as he cut the tape on Jack's legs. Another hauled him to his feet and shoved him as Danny was pulled from the vehicle and dumped onto the ground. The younger man let out a groan, rolling over onto his back. Almost immediately he was roughly pulled to his feet like Jack had been, and shoved into step by the pirate. As they were forced to march down the hallway, Jack looked over at him.

"How ye feelin'?"

"Like I was kicked in the head by a horse." He said, wincing. "Where are we?"

Jack shrugged, finding it slightly difficult with his hands taped behind his back. "Not sure. I fell between the seats on our way here and couldn't quite see out the window. Most likely wouldn't matter anyway. Probably in Smythe's territory now." Danny took a deep breath.

"What's he going to do with us?"

"Most likely kill us." Jack said in a casual tone, which only served to convince Danny more that the man was utterly insane.

"Jack, I hate to be pessimistic, but I don't think there would be any coming back from being dead this time if he's as powerful as you say." Danny bit his lip and looked down the dark hallway. There was a room at the end, the door outlined from the light within. A hand reached out and grabbed the tape around his wrists, pulling him to a halt. One of their captors brushed by and opened the door, while the other two pushed Jack and Danny inside.

Danny was instantly reminded of the dining room of a mansion; Jack instantly felt the need to plunder. They both looked around as they were led to the large table in the room. No expense had been spared on the room. There was a painting hanging over the fireplace, a small child staring at them with dead eyes. The windows were covered with heavy silk curtains, the table and chairs seemed to be made of mahogany wood.

"Mike!" Jack turned, part of him still responding to that name. His eyes fell on Nina, tied to one of the chairs at the table. She seemed to be ok, despite the fear in her eyes. The moment he made eye contact with her however, there was a little bit of hope there as well. Beside her sat a blond girl, the one Jack had remembered seeing Danny talking to before the mad dash to get back to the house. She also bore a striking resemblance to none other than Elizabeth Swann. Her eyes lit up as well when she saw Danny. Danny started struggling.

"Hannah? Let her go!" He shouted. A chuckled came from the chair with its back to them, and Jack's eyes narrowed as he recognized the voice. It sent chills up his spine, and he wanted nothing more than to help this man on his way to hell.

Jonas Smythe stood up, moving away from the chair. "You do know that that never really works don't you? Chivalry is dead, boy." He leaned against the fireplace, eyes roaming over Jack and Danny. "Incredible. That's why I could never find your soul to pull back and torture. She'd hidden you quite well, the old wench." He pushed away, walking closer to Jack and Danny. The men stood obediently, waiting for their next orders. Jack's body stiffened as the enemy neared, and Danny looked torn between fear and anger. Smythe stood face to face with Jack. "You can make this easy. You tell me where that treasure is, and I'll let the girls, the whelp, and you go and you can go back to living a normal life. Or, I can get it the hard way. What shall it be?"

Jack smirked. "I don't even have to think about that. There's no way yer getting' what's mine, mate. I paid for that half of the treasure with me blood, and I don't intend to give it up. Ye can torture me as much as ye'd like, but I'll never give." Smythe patted him on the chest, laughing.

"Not you, Jack. That would be too easy." He nodded his head, and two men grabbed Danny by the arms, dragging him over to one of the chairs. Jack lunged forward. 

"Stop! Don't do this!" He bellowed. Danny was thrown into the chair. One of the men pulled him forward to rip the tape from his hands and pull his left hand forward onto the table. Danny struggled against them, making it harder for them to pin him down. Jack slammed his foot down on the foot of one of the man guarding him. The man let out a yell and let him go. Jack moved towards the table, but Smythe was quicker, sweeping his legs out from under him. He crashed to the floor, unable to catch himself as his hands were behind his back. Smythe planted a boot on his chest, keeping him down. He nodded to one of his men standing back from the scene. 

Danny kicked one of the men away from him, growing desperate. He didn't know what they were going to do to him, and he didn't want to find out. The guard cursed at him, getting up and grabbing his foot as Danny launched another kick. Danny tried to kick him with the other foot, and that one was grabbed as well. Now he had no way to gain leverage to fight, and they managed to lay his left hand flat on the table. The man Smythe nodded to moved up behind the chair, unfolding his pocket knife. Danny never saw him coming, and the next thing he knew he was crying out in pain. Hannah jumped, her face turning a slight green as she stared in horror. Nina screamed, struggling against her bonds. 

"Stop this! Leave my son alone!" She shouted, as Danny took a deep and trembling breath. He stared down at the knife that was through his hand and embedded into the table. Smythe hauled Jack to his feet, grabbing his chin and making him look.

"What do you say now, Jack? Is it worth the pain of your best friend?" He hissed in Jack's ear. Danny shook his head, hoping Jack wouldn't say a word. Jack stared back at him, his mind debating. When Jack didn't speak up, Smythe nodded to the man with the knife. The guy grinned, pushing it to the side. Danny sucked in a deep breath as he felt the skin and muscles in his hand pull and rip. Tears sprang to his eyes, and he quit struggling against the other two men. The farther it was pushed, the more pain shot up his arm. Black spots danced in front of his eyes, and he slumped back against the chair. Smythe kicked out a chair from the table, throwing Jack into it. He pulled one out for himself, sitting so he was facing the pirate captain.

"You can stop this. Tell me where the treasure is, and the boy suffers no more." He said quietly. "Look at him, Jack. He's in all this pain because of you." He nodded again, and the man pulled the knife in the opposite direction, creating fresh pain for Danny. He bit down on his lips, trying not to cry out. Jack swallowed, looking from Smythe to Danny. Nina fought against her bonds, cursing at the men. Hannah also started shouting at them. 

"Stop." Jack said quietly, but when the man didn't let up on the knife, he nearly shouted it. "Stop!" Smythe smiled.

"Something to say, Mr. Sparrow?"

"It's Captain." He noticed Nina regarding him with an odd look. All this time, she'd heard Smythe referring to her lover as Jack. He was in for a hell of an explanation after this was all over. "I'll tell you where the treasure is, just stop torturing the boy." Smythe waved a hand, and the man holding the pocket knife backed off, but left the knife in Danny's hand. Danny slumped forward on the table, nearly unconscious again from the pain. Jack was presented with a piece of paper and a pen.

"That helps when me hands are tied behind me back." Jack muttered, rolling his eyes. Smythe gave him a dirty look and motioned for Jack to be untied. The pirate grunted when the duck tape was ripped off his arms, unfortunately taking some hair with it. "Watch it!" His arms were pulled in front of him and taped again. He stared at the tape in utter hatred. "Like this is a lot easier." He picked up the pen and started scribbling. A few minutes later, he put the pen down and pushed the paper towards Smythe. "There are your bloody directions. Now let them go." He held up his hands. Smythe ignored him, reading the directions as he got to his feet. 

"I'm not letting anyone go, Jack Sparrow. As a matter of fact, these two lovely young ladies are going to be accompanying me. Maybe if your directions are right, I'll bring them back to you. Maybe." Smythe glanced up at him and smirked. "Duvall, Henderson, grab Miss Smith and Miss Swann. They'll be coming with us."

"Yer goin' to regret this. You and every one of yer crew." Jack snarled, his eyes blazing in anger. "Just you wait!" Nina was yanked up from her chair. She kicked off the floor, slamming the man holding her back into the wall and tried to run. Her arm was caught and she was pulled back.

"Get your damn hands off me before ye lose them!" She snarled angrily, as another man had to help the first in holding her still. She fought viciously with them, Jack rooting her on, until they were forced to tape her arms together as well. Hannah was yanked up from her chair as well, and she tried to emulate Nina, although her attempt was merely scoffed at. The man responsible for her threw her over his shoulder.

"Put me down!" She shouted, pounding on his back. Danny sat up, glancing over at her. Jack noticed the expression on his face.

_One question about your business boy, or there's no use going. This girl, how far are you willing to go to save her?_

_I'd die for her._

Now he knew where Danny had been disappearing to on certain days after chores were done and there was a lull in business. All this time he'd had a girlfriend, and neither he nor Nina knew about it. The expression on Danny's face was the same one Will had on his own when Jack had asked him if he would do whatever it took to save Elizabeth.

 Both women were carried towards the door, still struggling. Smythe folded the directions and slid them in his pocket. 

"If all goes well, Captain, you'll be getting them back." He said. "I'll leave you two with four of my men. Try anything and they have my permission to give you a beating you won't forget." With that said he turned on his heel and walked towards the door. Right before Nina was pulled through, her eyes met with Jack's.

"Jack!" His heart accelerated. She had just called him Jack, which could only mean one thing.

"ANA!" He bellowed, trying to run for her, but he was grabbed and thrown violently back into the chair. His momentum tipped it over, and he tumbled to the ground with a grunt of pain. By the time he looked up, they were gone. He glanced up at the men standing over him, smirking down at him. "When I get done with ye, ye'll regret being born." Jack said, his tone low and dangerous. 

"You here that Reef? He thinks he's actually going to get out of this alive." Reef laughed at his friend's comment.

"Sad, isn't it?" He grabbed Jack's arm. "Bones, help me get him righted." Bones helped Reef pull Jack into the chair that the third man had set up. Jack glanced briefly to Danny, and saw that he had long passed out on the table. For the moment, he was alone.

"I think I already know what I'm goin' to do." He glanced at Bones. "You'll be the first to go, most likely by the first weapon that comes to me hand, so you better hope it's got a sharp edge, or you'll be sufferin' mate." He looked towards Reef. "Then I'll take his sword and run you through with it for mockin' me alone. Maybe in the stomach so ye can think for a while about why ye shouldn't insult me." With that said, he turned to the final man, a cruel smirk on his face. "Ye haven't said one word or touched me yet. Keep that up, and ye might get out of this with a few missin' digits, but ye'll have yer life." He leaned back in the chair. "Any questions?" The three men glanced at each other. They knew Jack's reputation as being slightly insane. Finally Reef started laughing.

"Keep your mouth shut or you'll be the one dying in lots of pain." He told Jack. Jack stared calmly back at him.

"I really don't like ye." He said finally, narrowing his eyes slightly, a thoughtful look on his face. "I'm goin' to make sure ye take a long time to…" Reef's hand closed into a fist and a moment later, Jack's head snapped to the side under the force of the blow.

"Say that again, and it'll be the last words you ever say." He snarled. "Got it?"He watched uneasily as Jack's smirk returned.

"Leave him alone." Bones turned towards Danny, who opened his eyes slightly to look over at them. The pirate went over, leaning one hand against the table as he regarded the young man.

"Oh yeah? What are you goin' to do about it, boy?" He said with a laugh. At the moment, Danny didn't look like much of a threat. He still looked half out of it from the pain, and didn't answer Bones' question. "That's what I thought." He muttered, starting to turn when Danny moved. His eyes were no longer glazed, and instead held an angry fire. He grabbed onto the table with his free hand and swung his foot up. The toe of his steel toed boots made contact with Bones' cheek, and the man dropped to a pile on the floor in front of him, screaming in pain.

"That." He muttered. With his free hand, he grabbed the pocket knife and pulled. The expression of pain on his face lasted only a moment before his eyes settled on his second target. Reef narrowed his eyes, pulling out his sword.

"You're going to regret that, boy." He snarled, pulling the cutlass from its sheath. 

"My name is not boy. It's Will." He flipped the pocket knife in his hand, catching it by the tip of the blade and promptly throwing it. It embedded itself deep into Reef's neck, and he fell to the floor, gagging. But it was too late for him. Will bent down and pulled the cutlass out of Bones' sheath, and acted as if he was testing the weight of it before looking back up at the third man. The guy took a look at Bones and Reef, then promptly turned on his heel and ran out the door. Will stepped over Bones and walked towards Jack, who was giving him an evil look.

"Those were mine!" He snapped. "I could've taken them! They mocked me and I needed to exact my revenge!"

"While you were tied up?" Will asked, looking amused. Jack stared angrily at him for a moment before lifting up his hands to have the tape cut. Will obliged, using the cutlass to slice through the duck tape. Jack got to his feet and plucked the cutlass from Reef's dead fingers. 

"How's the hand?"

"I've had worse. It's not exactly the most pleasant right now, but I'll live."

"Nice shot by the way." Jack finally muttered as they walked towards the door.

"I'm a little rusty. I was aiming for his heart."


	8. Cecilia's Story

"Blasted captain." Riggs muttered as he paced the hallway. His fingers tapped an erratic beat on his thigh as he walked. "Don't see why he needs so many to guard two men." Smythe had ordered Riggs and about three others to stay behind with Reef, Bones, and Havelock to guard those two pirates. Riggs believed that was overkill. It was two men. What about they possibly do? With a roll of his eyes, he went back to tapping out the beat on his leg. As he reached the end of the hallway, he paused to look down each corridor before turning around again. He turned, still grumbling to himself when he bumped into another person. His eyes grew wide and he scrambled to pull the cutlass from its sheath.  
  
Jack watched him in amusement before deciding to put him out of his misery and nailing him in the temple with a fist. He glanced over his shoulder at the trailing blacksmith. "Ye comin' or do I have to leave ye behind?" He asked. Will shot him a dark look as he caught up.  
  
"I was looking for something to wrap my hand with." He groused. Jack glanced down and made a face.  
  
"Are ye sure yer alright to be standin' up? That doesn't look very good."  
  
Will raised an eyebrow. "Jack Sparrow, are you concerned about someone who isn't yourself, the Pearl, or treasure?" He teased. Jack shot him a dirty look.  
  
"It's all Mike's fault." Jack shot off as he turned and started marching down the corridor.  
  
"I thought you said you were Mike." Will said, smirking.  
  
"Shut up." Jack growled. He turned to face Will again. "Ye know I was better off with that snot nosed, little..." He was cut off as there was a shout from the end of the hallway. "There's guards behind me, isn't there?" Will nodded mutely. Jack rolled his eyes and turned around. The two men standing at the end of the hallway pulled out their cutlasses, glaring at the two escapees. "'Ey, look Will! It's our friend that ran away. Wondered where he went." The man on the left had run after Will had taken out two of his friends, but he looked braver now that the odds seemed to be even. Will took a step forward, ready to attack when Jack put a hand on his chest. "No. Mine."  
  
"You think you can take the two of us alone?" The coward nudged his buddy. "Ain't that a laugh Jim?" Jim grinned and nodded.  
  
"Like to see him try." Jack rolled his eyes, looking bored with the situation. He turned back to Will.  
  
"Look at 'em. All they can do is talk and wait till a man's back is turned before they attack." He said, ducking beneath the swing of the blade as he talked. Jack's foot slammed into Jim's knee, bending it in backwards with a loud snap. Jim let out a cry of pain and stumbled backwards, landing on his rear. Jack stood up, facing down Coward. Coward leered and made a thrust with his blade towards Jack. Jack turned it away and hopped back out of the blade's reach. "Surprised yer not runnin' right now, actually." He kicked Jim on the floor. "Not like he's goin' to help ye any." Jim gave a yelp and scooted away from the pirate.  
  
Coward looked at his friend, then back at Jack. "I will kill you." He hissed.  
  
"No, boredom will kill me with all this sittin' around and talkin'. I suggest if yer goin' to attack, do it before you lose me attention." Jack said, leaning against the wall, looking over with fingernails with an air of indifference. Jim whimpered again and Jack looked over at him. "Quit yer bloody whinin' already." He looked back up again. "So what'll it...be." He straightened up. "The bloody coward ran off again!" He said angrily. "He can't even face me like the ra..." The door next to him opened and a pair of hands grabbed him by the shirt and hauled him in. Will stumbled back, wide eyed.  
  
"Jack?" He asked, cautiously moving towards the door. "Jack, are you....GAH!" He yelped in surprise as the same pair of hands reached out, grabbing the collar of his shirt and yanking him into the dark room. He bumped into someone. "Sorry." He said apologetically, wondering why at a time like this he was being so polite.  
  
The lights flickered on, and Jack was relieved to find that their kidnapper was none other than Cecilia herself. The relief faded from his mind however when another question sprung up. "How the hell did ye get in here?" He asked, crossing his arms. Cecilia chuckled.  
  
"Magic, my boy." She settled herself down in one of the plush armchairs of the study. The room had a comfortable, enclosed feeling to it. No windows, one door, and all the walls were lined with shelves of books. Jack wandered over, sitting down in a chair opposite her. Will remained standing.  
  
"You..." He pointed at Cecilia. "You came to me on the beach that night, when I was dying. You held me and comforted me until I had died." His voice was quiet. Cecilia looked up at him.  
  
"That was me, little one. Good to see you're finally awake." She gave him a small smile before turning her attention back to Jack. "Seems you've got yourself in quite a situation here, Captain Sparrow. Not only does Smythe know where your treasure is, but he now has your most precious treasure as well." She tapped her fingers on the arm of the chair. "A dire situation indeed."  
  
Jack raised an eyebrow. "And why would you be here exactly? Ye seem to have this thing about showing up at the opportune moment." He muttered. Cecilia ignored him for the time being. She got up from her seat and walked over to the desk. Jack watched her in confusion as she yanked open a drawer and carelessly rummaged through it. Not finding what she wanted, she slammed the drawer shut again and pulled open another. A moment later, she smiled triumphantly and pulled a handkerchief out of the drawer.  
  
"Here's what I was looking for. William, come here." She said. Will glanced at Jack before cautiously approaching her. Cecilia seemed to take no notice to his unease and grabbed his left hand, yanking him towards her. She looked over the wound in his hand and grimaced. "Bastards. Doing something like this to a sweet boy like you." She muttered as she let go and started to wrap the handkerchief around his hand. "Good thing it was your left hand though. Who knows what it might have done to your skill with a blade had it been your right hand they skewered." She finished wrapping it, and knotted it tightly. "You'll have to wash the blood off on your own time. I don't clean, I just mend." She chuckled at her own joke and wandered back to her seat. "While you're up dear, would you mind going to that bookshelf over there and finding me a book Jonas might have? It's most likely in a language you won't understand, so just bring me anything that looks unfamiliar. Jack and I need to have a talk." Will nodded and wandered over to the bookcase. Cecilia looked back at Jack.  
  
"He's your son, isn't he? Jonas, that is." Jack said quietly. Cecilia nodded and her expression dark.  
  
"I knew I could count on you to figure it out, Captain. What gave it away?" She leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees.  
  
"Well, I found it odd that you'd help us when you barely even knew us. That island was deserted. You shouldn't even have been on it."  
  
"Very observant. Jonas kept me locked in my cabin most of the time. He wanted to learn all the power that he'd inherited at birth, but I wouldn't teach him. You should've seen him when he was younger. He was horrible to the other children, yet he wasn't a bullying child. He was quiet, and his eyes always had this cold look to them. I knew right away that I'd given birth to something evil, but I could never bring myself to do anything about it." She closed her eyes, massaging the bridge of her nose. Jack had leaned forward as well, elbows resting on his knees and listening to her intently.  
  
"Then one night, when he was twelve, I took him into town and left him on the doorstep of an orphanage. I loved him dearly, but the boy..." She sighed. "I'm a horrible mother. I couldn't stand to be around him. Not with that cold stare and he had this feeling about him that I can't describe, but it made chills run up your spine."  
  
"I never noticed that." Jack said, frowning. Cecilia nodded.  
  
"It all changed after he became a pirate. One night the village is overrun, and I find myself being manhandled to the ship by two of the meanest looking men you ever saw. It turned out he was the captain of the ship, and after asking some questions and putting money in the right hands, he'd found me. He told me he wanted to learn the power of voodoo and he wasn't about to take no for an answer. Six miserable years I lived on that ship." She found sitting down to tell the story a bit too uncomfortable for her, so she stood up and began to pace.  
  
"Then one night in port, I hear two of his crew talking about some poor sap they'd found to help them find the treasure. Once that was said and done, they'd kill 'em and leave 'em behind. Smythe wanted all the treasure to himself, and he wasn't about to share with you." Jack sat back in his chair, an angry expression on his face.  
  
"And I fell for it. I trusted him." He muttered bitterly. Cecilia stopped, and her expression softened as she looked at him.  
  
"You didn't trust him, Captain Sparrow. You only thought you did. He worked some mojo on your mind." She leaned against the chair. "I heard what happened to you and how you never really trusted many after that incident. It seemed odd that you would trust him when you barely knew him."  
  
"Well, that's all good and sad." He stood up, still staring at her. "You still haven't answered the question of why you helped us to a satisfactory point."  
  
Cecilia smiled. "I helped you because of who you were. It's hard to love evil, Captain Sparrow. I tried and tried, but I failed to ever love Jonas. The more I stayed on that ship, the more I lost any of hope I had of loving him. When you all went after the treasure, I used a little bit of magic and escaped. I had no idea where you were going, so I wandered around, hoping to cross paths with you. I found no one until later that night when I came across William knocking on death's door." She glanced over at Will, who was still searching through the books she had pointed him to. "A while later, you come to the same spot in the same condition. Just by looking at you, I could feel that you were going to be the one. You were defiant of everyone. Not even death could make you humble."  
  
Jack started pacing. "So you helped me because you want me to fight him? Luv, I'm good, but what yer askin'...that may be a little out of my league. All I want is to rescue Ana and go back to livin' me life." Cecilia suddenly looked away. "What?"  
  
She took a deep breath. "The spell isn't permanent, Captain. I hid your spirits and when the time was right, I called you forth. But you're only temporary residents. After this is over, you can finally find peace." Jack stared at her in shock.  
  
"But what if I don't want to? What if I want to live the life that was taken from me?" He demanded.  
  
"That's not my place." Cecilia shot back. "I can only bring you back temporarily to get your vengeance. But I cannot play a higher power and resurrect you, got it?" She said. "Besides, if I let you stay, it wouldn't be good for William. He only loved that lass of his back then, and she's the only person that he still loves."  
  
Jack threw up his hands. "He's got a lass! That Hannah girl they kidnapped with Ana. That's Elizabeth." He was startled when she marched over and stood close to him. She was opposing for someone who only came up to his collar bone.  
  
"I only saved those on the beach, Captain. That would mean you, Anamaria, and William. That girl may look like Elizabeth, but it's not her. He doesn't love her for what she looks like, he loves her for who she is, and that girl is not her." Cecilia hissed. "You should understand this. Could you love anyone else besides Anamaria? Jack didn't respond at first. He stared back at her for a moment, as if he could read her thoughts.  
  
"So we'll get to be at peace then? No more limbo?" He asked. Cecilia nodded.  
  
"You'll get the peace you deserve." She said quietly. "All I ask is that you help me bring Jonas down. Please."  
  
"Fine." He said, just as Will came over, his arms full of books. He laid them on the table, looking between Jack and Cecilia.  
  
"Is everything ok?" He asked. Cecilia broke the eye contact with Jack first, turning away.  
  
"Just fine." She wandered over to the table, searching through the books. "Here we go." She picked up an old ratty book, flipping through it.  
  
"So what's the plan?" Jack asked, walking over to join them.  
  
"It's simple." Cecilia muttered. "I'm going to break his protective spell and you're going to kill him. Anymore complicated and it would certainly be screwed up." She paused on a page, running her finger down it. Will looked at Jack.  
  
"There's more magic?" He asked hesitantly. Jack nodded and put an arm around his shoulders.  
  
"Not even the afterlife is borin' for us, William." 


	9. Flashbacks and Rescues

Ana clenched her fist in frustration, staring angrily at the back of the driver's head. He was talking quietly to the man in the passenger's seat as they drove along, one of the three vehicles in the procession. She wanted nothing more than to kick him in the back of the head, but the fact that they were on a small trail on the side of a cliff stopped her.

Beside her Hannah wiped at the tears on her face after being yelled at by the man in the passenger's seat for crying. Ana glanced over at her.

"Calm down, Hannah. Nothing's going to be accomplished by getting upset." She said quietly. She knew she should take her own advice and calm her rapidly rising temper. She was angry, frustrated, confused and scared. 

_Ana ran from the trees, panting. The voices had died off some time ago and she was sure that she'd lost them somewhere back in the woods. Falling on her knees in the sand, she took deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. Now she just had to find out what had happened to the rest of the Black __Pearl__'s crew. She looked up, wiping the sweat from her face. There was a pause as she saw two dark shapes a ways down the beach. Getting to her feet, she sprinted towards them. Her heart sped up, hoping that what she was thinking was wrong. _

_Jack and William lay in the sand, neither one moving. She dropped to her knees beside Jack, turning him onto his back and shaking him. "Jack! Jack, wake up!" She grabbed the collar of his shirt and shook him. "Jack, wake up now!" He didn't move, his eyes closed and a peaceful expression on his face. Her eyes traveled downwards and her heart sank when she saw the bloody sand where he had been laying on his stomach. She reached out and touched his side, her fingers coming away stained with blood. "No…" Tears rolled down her cheeks as she laid her head down on his chest. Her worst fears had come true and worse she was alone now. Her body heaved as she sobbed, holding tightly to him. "Jack, don't leave me…" She turned her head to the side and suddenly sat up as she caught sight of a woman standing in front of her. "Who are you?"_

_The woman smiled. "I've been asked that more tonight than I have in my entire life." She said, crouching down. Ana stared at her in confusion, shaking her head. "My name is Cecilia." The woman said and looked down at Jack. "He's in a better place now. But this won't be the last that you see of him."_

_Ana blinked. "What?"_

_"The lives of your descendants are in danger." She took Ana's hands in hers and Ana felt a strange tingle shoot down her spine. "You are need…." She stopped suddenly and stood up. Ana turned as well and got to her feet, her expression dark._

_Jonas Smythe smirked at them both. "I've been looking for you, Anamaria. You were a hard one to find." He shook a finger at her. "It's time for you to join the good captain and the rest of the crew." Ana raised her chin and made two fists. _

_"You betrayed us." She said quietly. "You stabbed us all in the back when you made a deal." Cecilia glared at Jonas as well._

_"What are you doing, boy? Leave the girl alone, she's done nothing to you." She began to push up the sleeves of her dress. "I should take you over my knee right now." She snapped, just before her arms were grabbed and she found herself being dragged away from her son and the female pirate. They were taking her back to that forsaken ship of his. Cecilia twisted in their grip, but they were too strong for her. "Remember Anamaria! He loves you! You'll see him again!" Her shouts to Ana made the woman turn towards her. Only Cecilia saw Jonas raise the pistol and aim it at her. He pulled the trigger, never even flinching as Ana cried out in pain and fell on the beach beside Jack. Cecilia closed her eyes._

_Ana took a shuddering breath as she felt the pain in her right side growing. It had only taken a moment of distraction for her life to become forfeit. Jonas stood over her, his expression cold. He smiled down at her and if she could of, she would have hit him. "Don't fight it. You've lost." He said before turning on his heel and walking down the beach after his men dragging Cecilia to the ship. Ana laid her head on the sand. Her hand crept up and wrapped around Jack's cold hand. At least they would remain here together instead of alone. She closed her eyes and took her last breath._

Ana rubbed the bridge of her nose. One moment she'd taken her last breath of life and the next she was fighting against Jonas's men in the dining room. She'd seen Jack, sitting in the chair, trying to come after her. Her Jack had come back as well. That Cecilia had done something to them and now she was sharing memories and thoughts with Nina.

_Mike and Nina…_

_Jack and Anamaria…_

Hannah had quit sniffling and was looking at her now. "What are they going to do with us?" She asked quietly. Ana shook her head.

"I don't know, but it won't be good likely." Hannah curled her arms tighter around herself.

"We're going to die." She said quietly.

Ana looked over at her. "Don't say that. As long as Jack and Will are still…" Hannah cocked her head.

"Who?" 

Ana waved a hand. "I'm sorry. My mind isn't working right at the moment." The last thing she needed was to freak out the girl by saying that Mike, Danny, and she were currently pirates from a different century. "I mean Mike and Danny."

"Oh." Hannah looked at the floor. "I hope so."

"You like him, don't you?" Ana asked, raising an eyebrow. Hannah blushed.

"A little…" Ana smiled and returned to looking out the window. _Come on Jack. Where are you?_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jack motioned down the hallway to Cecilia and Will. The two were waiting for a signal from him that the way was clear. Will opened the door all the way and allowed Cecilia to go out before him. She walked to Jack. The book she'd found in the library was clutched tightly to her chest. Will came up behind them both. Jack looked between them. 

"I think we're pretty much in the clear." He said quietly. "But even so everyone be quiet till we get out of here." He pointed behind him. "Let's move."

They reached the door without any surprises or visitors. Jack pushed it open and grinned as he saw that they had finally found the way out. The door led down into the garage. He jumped down the stairs, heading over to one of the cars. Will followed after him, but Cecilia stopped. "Jack!"

Jack swung around just in time to see the pirate come at him with the sword. He ducked, letting the man slam into the side of the car. Taking advantage of his disorientation, he jumped up and placed a hand on the back of the pirates head and slammed it into the vehicle. The man let out a groan and slid to the ground like he was boneless. Jack pulled him away from the car and motioned to Will and Cecilia. "Let's get out of here before anyone else decides to join in." He said, throwing open the door and getting in. Will got in the passenger's side and Cecilia climbed in the back.

"We're not going to be able to catch up with them, no matter how fast you drive." Will told Jack as the pirate worked as hotwiring the car. "With all the twists and turns through the hills it'll slow us down and they'll kill them before we even get there." He muttered. There was a spark between the two wires and Jack sat up, pressing the button on the roof that opened the garage door. He shifted it into drive and pressed down on the gas.

"That's why we're not going that way. I intentionally gave them directions to the long way around." Jack said. "There's an easier way. We just have to follow the beach."

"In a car?" Will stared at him. "We'll bottom out."

"No, not in a car." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cecilia glared at Jack, a look of hatred on her face.

"You expect me to get on that?" She hissed as she pointed at the horse Jack had just led out of the barn. "I hate the foul beasts and they hate me!" Jack shot her a dark look as the horse grew skittish at her tone.

"If ye want to get to them in time, you will." Jack muttered. "If ye treat them respectfully, they'll treat you with respect." He led the horse over to the mounting block and motioned for her to come over. She came over reluctantly.

"I thought pirates liked ships." She said quietly.

"We do. But these are modern times, luv. We have other methods of travel now."

"Horses were used for transportation when you were alive!"

"And now it's our best bet, so mount up." She pushed past him and pulled herself up onto the horse, gripping the reins and the saddle horn tightly. Jack rolled his eyes at her and went over to Silver. The horse could sense the change in his master and acted skittishly around him. 

"She's right. I miss my bloody ship." He muttered to himself as he mounted up on Silver. "William! Let's get going!" He shouted as he gave Silver a kick in the ribs and pointed him towards Cecilia. 

Will gave Chico a slight nudge and the horse walked out of the barn and down the pathway to the corral. "I'm here, I'm here." He said. Jack nodded towards the trees.

"We take the path down through there out to the beach. Once we hit the beach we'll give the horses the rein." Jack looked over at Cecilia. "And Cecilia, luv, try not to fall off." The old voodoo woman shook her finger at him.

"If I didn't like you so much Captain Sparrow, I'd smite you right about now!" She said. Jack grinned at her and gave Silver another nudge in the ribs. The horse started off down the pathway. Will motioned Cecilia in front of him and then followed after her. They were silent as they rode down the forest path. Once out on the beach, Jack gave Silver a kick. Silver leapt forward, taking off down the beach. Cecilia dropped the reins as her horse took off after Silver, clutching at the saddle with a fearful expression on her face. Will gave Chico the reins and the horse sprinted off. As he closed in on Cecilia, he pulled up on the reins and reached over to steady Cecilia.

"How do you ride these damn things?" She shouted at him. He grinned at her.

"It's been a long time for me. I'm just going with what Danny knows." He told her. "Just keep a tight hold on the saddle horn and reins and keep centered on the saddle." With his help, she managed to right herself and allowed her horse to pick up the speed. Will stayed beside her as they caught up with Jack. Together the three rode like the devil was chasing them across the beach towards the caves where years ago, Jack had buried the treasure that was rightfully his.


	10. A Taste of Mortality

For Jack, going back to the cave was like reluctantly going to hell for a stay. As the three riders came around the side of the rock wall, there it stood. Now that he looked at it again, he was reminded of a small animal facing the cavernous mouth of a larger predator. A shiver worked its way up his spine as he sat there looking at it.  The cause for all that trouble that had led to this moment lay in that cave. He slid out of the saddle, pulling the reins over Silver's head to give the horse's head freedom of movement. Ahead of him, Will turned to look at Jack over his shoulder.

"Do you think they're even here yet?" In response to his question, Jack nodded upwards towards the cliff. Will glanced up, seeing the vehicles sitting on the ledges above, visible in the sliver of moonlight shining down over the cliffs, creating shadows at the bottom and making a spotlight on the cave entrance.

"They're here." He said quietly. "Hopefully there won't be too many obstacles." He had a feeling that there would be a few guards around as a precaution. Smythe probably felt assured that Jack and Will were still locked in his hideaway. _Arrogant man._ Despite the seriousness of the current situation, the side of Jack's mouth moved upwards into a smirk. There was a fine line between confidence and arrogance and Smythe had crossed it a long time ago, which was fine with Jack. To Jack, men with an ego were easier to exploit than those who were unsure. The unsure were cautious; the egotistical believed they had everything right and never seemed to notice the holes in their deluded theories. Smythe had underestimated Jack Sparrow. That would bring him to his downfall.

Jack turned back to the saddle bag and flipped up the flap. He pulled out the handgun and checked to make sure the safety was on and the clip was loaded. When he was assured that the safety was on and that the clip was loaded, he tucked it into the waistband of his jeans. That having been done, he turned back towards Will and Cecilia. The woman was watching them both in a manner that gave Jack the feeling that they were being sized up. When she felt his gaze on her, she looked back down to the book held in her hands. Jack laid a hand on Will's shoulder.

"Ready lad?" Will jumped, making it clear that his attention had been somewhere else at the moment. The cutlass held in his right hand tumbled from his fingers into the sand and he quickly knelt to pick it up. He handed it to Jack and got to his feet. He switched his own cutlass to his right hand and shook his left. The pain had been uncomfortable for a long time, but now it was beginning to go numb. The cloth that had been used as a bandage was beginning to turn pink as the blood made its way through the many layers.

"Ready as I'll ever be." He responded.  Jack didn't even bother to suggest him staying out of the fight. He knew if he did, they'd waste precious time arguing over it and Will would end up going anyway. It was better just to bypass the argument completely by ignoring it. Cecilia slapped the book shut suddenly, making both the blacksmith and the pirate jump.

"We don't have much time." She suddenly seemed very different than the woman who had appeared in his living room earlier in the evening. The look in her eyes was almost deadly, but also calm. Once again Jack felt very intimidated by her and looked back towards the caves.

"Then I guess we better get moving." With a final look towards Will, he started off across the sand towards the cave. After a moment's hesitation, Will followed after him. Cecilia brought up the rear, the book held tightly to her chest as if it were a child that needed to be protected. They stayed close to the wall, hiding in the shadows as they made their way towards the cave entrance. Jack gripped the cutlass tighter as they walked onwards. If felt like the closer they got, the more he could feel icy fingers slowly closing over his beating heart. He wasn't afraid; it was the memories. It felt like only yesterday that he and Will had run from the cave after hiding the treasure. He remembered the sinking feeling in his stomach and at that time, being almost absolutely sure that he would never go to sea again. But even as the memories came back to haunt him, another thought came to him. _This is a second chance to make right all the wrongs that have been done. If there hadn't been a chance, there really would've been no point to bringing you back, right?_ Jack felt the cold fingers retract slightly. _No, there wouldn't have. This time, I'll be the one walking away._

The crack that rent the night air brought him out of his thoughts and he turned just in time to see the blade fly from Will's fingers and go flying into the sand. Jack looked towards the mouth of the cave to see the man standing right beside the entrance, taking aim. The pirate turned and grabbed Will's shirt, pushing him backwards right before the bullet hit the sand in front of him, exploding upward like a miniature fountain.

"Get against the wall!" Jack shouted at them. Will grabbed his cutlass before sinking deeper into the shadows, against the wall. Cecilia had already been there from the first shot. When he was assured they were alright, he turned to look back out at the cave again. The sniper was having trouble seeing them in the shadows, but Jack could see him just fine. He handed his cutlass to Will and pulled the gun out of his waistband and flicked the safety off.

"Is that going to be able to reach all the way there?" Will whispered as Jack took aim. Jack lined up the man, steadying the gun with his other hand. The moonlight worked for him, being at his back. It had created the shadows against the rock wall, but created a shaft of light down near the entrance of the cave. Jack exhaled slowly and pulled the trigger. The gunshot rang through the night and the sniper didn't even have time to yell out before he crumpled to the ground. They waited to see if there was movement, but it soon became apparent that there wouldn't be. Jack ventured out onto the sand, walking towards the cave. Cecilia walked beside Will, who seemed ready to protect the woman when danger presented itself again.  

The trip to the cave turned out to be uneventful. It seemed as if only one man had been placed on guard and now he lay dead at Jack's feet. Jack placed the toe of his boot underneath the man's arm and rolled him. A disgusted scowl crossed his face as he looked down upon the man's face.

"Jones. Ye dirty traitor." He growled, recognizing a man who had been on his crew. Crouching down, he roughly grabbed the jacket and pulled it off the dead man. He searched through the pockets for things they could use. A small pile began to form by his feet. When he had searched the last pocket, the pile consisted of a rather deadly looking pocket knife, more ammunition to the gun, a set of keys, and a wallet. Jack handed the smaller gun to Will and picked up the rifle Jones had been using. He stuffed the wallet in his back pocket and the ammunition and knife in the front pocket, and then threw the keys to Will. "Hold on to those. They might come in handy later." Will nodded and slipped them into his front pocket.

Cecilia walked past them into the caves. As she went by, she placed a finger on her lips to quiet them. Both men did so immediately and followed after. Cecilia started rummaging through the bag at her hip. "Where did I put that flashlight?" She muttered quietly. After a few uttered curses, there was a click and a beam of light appeared and pointed towards the floor. Unable to see Cecilia in the darkness, Jack and Will followed the beam of light.

"I wish this was happening in the day time." Will whispered to Jack. "At least last time we could see when we came to bury the treasure." Jack nodded, watching the light beam. The lack of light and the seemingly endless walking made it feel like a good amount of time had passed, when in reality they had been walking only a short time. Jack began to feel impatient, fingering the trigger of the rifle in his hands. His cutlass blade tapped rhythmically against his leg, almost making him feel more rushed. The closer they got, the more he could almost feel her presence. _Hold on, Ana. I'm coming._

Suddenly Jack could see that the walkway opened up into a cavern ahead of them, silver moonlight shining in through an opening in the ceiling. As they drew nearer, Cecilia flicked off the flashlight and returned it to her bag. She turned to Jack and Will.

"I need time." She whispered to them. "I need you to get me that time. Draw attention to yourselves, create a distraction, do what you must." She reached up and touched Jack's cheek, and then Will's. "Just please don't get yourselves killed. I've taken a liking to you boys in the short time we've shared together, and it would break my heart to see anything happen to you again." She gave them a sad smile. "Good luck." With that having been said, she turned away from them and walked through the cavern entrance. The ledge led both upwards and downwards. Cecilia took the downwards route. Will crouched down and scooted towards the edge.

"Jack!" He hissed over his shoulder. The pirate crouched as well and came up beside the blacksmith. Down below, Smythe sat on a rock with an impatient expression on his face while five other men searched the cavern for Jack's hidden treasure. Will looked over at Jack, a confused expression on his face. "I thought you gave them the directions to find it."

Jack held up a finger. "He asked me where the treasure was. He didn't ask me where it was _exactly._ It's all in how you word it, Will." Will shook his head, a half hearted grin on his face and looked back down into the cavern. Jack pointed over towards where the ledge opened up onto the cavern floor. Ana was leaning against the wall, idly trying to loosen up the ropes tied around her wrists. Hannah sat beside her, watching the men searching.

"Hurry it up, you idiots." Smythe got to his feet. "It can't be that hard to find a chest." He grumbled.

"It wouldn't be if we hadn't slid a rock over it." Will muttered. Jack grinned and positioned the rifle against the corner of the ledge. He peered through the sight, lining up Smythe's chest in the crosshairs.

"Good riddance…" He growled as his finger tightened on the trigger, but the shot was never fired. The gun suddenly flew from Jack's hands and down into the cavern, landing with a clatter below. Jack whirled around to find the barrel of a gun staring him in the face. The pirate stared coldly at the two men.

"Get up." Jack glanced at Will, then back at the pirate and slowly rolled onto his back with his hands up. As he climbed to his feet, he kept his eyes on the pirate. The pirate held his gaze, the barrel of the gun never leaving Jack. At least not until Will's foot slammed into his wrist. Jack took the opportunity to grab his wrist and force the gun upwards. All work stopped as the gun went off, the noise ricocheting throughout the cavern. Jack slammed the pirate's arm into the wall, causing him to drop it completely. The pirate's other hand curled into a fist and slammed into Jack's jaw. Jack went with the blow, recovering just enough to slam his knee into the pirate's stomach and shove him backwards. The pirate stumbled, trying to recover his balance. Will quickly corrected that problem, sticking out his foot as the man stumbled backwards. He tripped and fell backwards over the ledge. Jack rubbed his jaw angrily.

"Where's the gun?" He demanded. Will winced.

"He kicked it over when he stumbled backwards." He pulled the handgun from the back of his waistband and held it out towards Jack. "But we still have this one." Jack snatched it from him, sticking it in his own waistband and pulling his cutlass out of his belt.

"Now I'm mad." He started stalking down the winding ledge. Smythe looked up from the dead body of the pirate and sighted Jack. An eyebrow was raised.

"Good show, Captain Sparrow. I knew of the stories told about you, but I never thought most of them to be true. Now I'm beginning to wonder." He crossed his arms. Jack glanced over and down at him as he made his way along the winding path downwards.

"Aye, and I'm about to show ye just what the stories don't say about me." He growled. He was vaguely aware of Will following a few feet behind him, but he didn't care. Right now the only thing that mattered was getting his vengeance.

"Lucky me. I'm getting to see the famous Sparrow in action." He said in a mocking tone. Jack sneered at him. 

"Now are ye actually going to fight me, or are ye goin' to send yer thugs after me?" He raised his hands. "I can't believe ye actually gave them immortality."  While he was talking, his free hand slid over his pocket, palming the pocket knife. He finally reached the floor, brushing past Ana. As he did so, his hand met with hers and she took the knife from his hand. "I'm right here, Smythe. How about ye face me like a man this time?" The expression on Smythe's face darkened and he picked up his cutlass. 

"This will be your final fight, Sparrow. I'll make sure you die and stay dead this time." He snarled as he lunged for Jack. Jack brought up his blade, parrying the blow. Behind him, the remaining four men snapped into action. They scrambled for their swords.

"Where are they?" The cutlasses had been leaning against a nearby rock, but now they were missing. A whistle caught their attention.

"Hey, are you looking for these?" The four whirled around to glare at the young blacksmith with an armful of swords. "Finders keepers, I guess." He gave them a quick grin. There was a moment of pause before the pirate in the lead cursed and took off after him. Will turned around and sprinted away from him, calling taunts over his shoulder. Nearby, Jack and Smythe were face to face, blades crossed in an equal match of strength. 

Ana nudged Hannah with her leg and knelt down. "Turn around." She commanded. Hannah did as she was told. Ana flipped the pocket knife open and grabbed Hannah's wrist with one hand while cutting through the ropes. It was made slightly more difficult by the fact that her hands were still tied, but soon the ropes snapped and dropped to the ground. Hannah took the knife and quickly cut through Ana's ropes. Ana shook her hands, feeling pins and needles as the feeling came back. "Don't think they liked me much. Tied my ropes tighter than yours." Hannah looked like she was unsure if she should smile at that or not. Ana raised a hand and whistled for Will's attention. "William! Over here!" He changed directions, sprinting towards her. The pirates followed after him, still shouting threats at him. He skidded to a stop in front of Ana and she pulled a cutlass from his arms. "Give one to the lass."

Hannah reluctantly took one, holding it in front of her. Ana smirked, standing beside Will with her blade at the ready. The pirates skidded to a stop when they saw the armed blacksmith and pirate. They decided they weren't stupid enough to face them unarmed and turned tail to run.

Cecilia held the open book in her hands, chanting softly. Smythe suddenly stumbled back from Jack, a strange expression on his face. Jack stood back, wary. Cecilia's voice rose as she recited the spell. Smythe turned towards her, face contorting in fury. 

"You stupid wench!" He shouted. "I should've killed you when I had the chance." Jack lashed out and slammed a fist into his temple. 

"Shouldn't talk to yer mother that way, Jonas. Not very nice." Jonas lashed out and swept Jack's feet out from underneath him. Jack hit the ground and rolled out of reach. Both men got to their feet and Smythe lunged again. Jack blocked his swing and hit him again, knocking him backwards. "What's the matter? Ye seem a little tired." He mocked. Cecilia's voice stopped. He glanced towards her. She nodded.

Jack looked back over at Smythe, his expression cold. "Ye never gave me a chance." He pushed Smythe down onto the ground, standing over him. "Bewitched me to make me yer pawn and then ye get rid of me like I'm trash. Shot an unarmed man in the stomach." Jack pulled the gun out of his waistband. Smythe's eyes darted over to the weapon before going back to Jack.

"Do it." He stared at Jack with a vacant expression. "Kill me, Jack." A surprised look flickered on his face when Jack threw the gun aside.

"I may be a pirate, but I'd like to think of myself as an honorable man." He kicked the cutlass over to Smythe. "Pick it up and fight me so you can die with dignity." Smythe stared at him for a moment before grabbing the sword and getting to his feet. Jack gripped his weapon tightly. With a scream of rage, Smythe attacked. Jack parried him, knocking the thrust to the side and returning to a defensive position. Smythe steadied himself and lunged again. The clash of sword blades caught the attention of everyone in the cavern. Ana gripped Will's shoulder tightly.

"Come on…" She whispered, praying that Jack would be the one to walk away from this fight. Smythe's strokes were growing wilder as he grew desperate. The unpredictable strokes were harder for Jack to block and he started to lose ground. One stroke dragged across his arm, creating a thin red line. Jack glanced down as the blood began to well up.

"Yer goin' to pay for that." He growled. This time it was Smythe who was on the offensive as Jack pressed forward. Smythe blocked the first few strokes, but the fourth knocked the cutlass away. But the loss barely even registered as Jack shoved the blade through his stomach. He made a strangled sound and backed up, the sword still in him. 

"Have a taste of mortality." Jack said coldly. Smythe dropped to his knees.

"I can't die." He said in shock. Will and Ana spun around as there was a clatter behind them. The four pirates they had been up against earlier collapsed to the ground. Their flesh quickly dried up and turned to ash, leaving bleached bones behind. Smythe looked up at Jack. "How…?"

"I don't know how." Smythe looked back down at the ground. He toppled over, hitting the ground and kicking up dust. Dead eyes stared straight ahead. Jack nudged him with his foot twice before kneeling down and taking his pulse.

"He's dead." He muttered as a hand rested on his shoulder. Ana knelt down beside him and he took her into his arms. "We finally won." She pressed herself against him, happy to be in his embrace again. Suddenly Jack stood up, accidentally pulling her up with him. "Cecilia." He said.

"Who?" He let go of her, hurrying towards something lying on the ground. Ana hurried after him. As she drew near, she realized it was an older woman. The woman from the beach, the one that had told her that Jack would need her help again. Jack knelt down beside her, shaking her arm.

"Cecilia." He called. There was no response. He shook her harder. "Cecilia." When she still didn't respond, he picked up her wrist and felt for a pulse. After a moment he laid her hand back down on the ground. "Thank ye, Cecilia. Couldn't have done it without you." Will knelt at her side as well.

"Is she…?" Jack nodded. 

"She's gone." He said quietly. "Her job was done. She must have done something to break his defenses so I could kill him." He reached over and shut her eyes. Ana covered her mouth with her hand as Jack stood up. He put his arms around her, holding her close. She never cried, and it bothered him to see her do so now. It felt so good to have her in his arms again and he never wanted to let go.

"Danny!" Jack and Ana both looked over as Hannah screamed his name. Will had begun to waver and then just fell over, lying still on the ground. Jack started for him when Ana suddenly went limp in his arms. He went to call her name when a wave of dizziness hit him. He blinked as the cave began to spin. His knees gave out and he collapsed to the ground, still holding Ana to him. When his knees hit the ground, he just kept going till he was laid out completely. The entire world around him faded to black and all went quiet.

_It's time to go, Jack._


	11. Living On

"Mike…Mike, wake up."

Somewhere, someone was calling to him. As time passed, the voice grew clearer and he recognized the speaker. _Nina._ With some difficulty, he forced himself to open his eyes. It took a moment before his blurry gaze cleared up and focused on the woman kneeling beside him. Nina looked down at him, tears in her eyes, grasping his hand. When she saw his eyes open, a small smile touched her lips and she leaned down, putting her arms around him. He winced as she did so, but didn't say a word. Every time he moved, something hurt. He felt like he'd been put through the ringer.

"I'm so glad you're alright." She whispered to him. "You wouldn't wake up, no matter how much I shook you." She sat back up and helped him sit up as well. Mike's head spun and he nearly fell backwards again. She held tightly to him, laying his head against her chest. "It takes a few moments to stop." She told him, stroking his hair. Mike shut his eyes again, willing the dizziness and the aches to go away. The dizziness did eventually, but the aches didn't. He got to his feet unsteadily, leaning against the wall.

"Last thing I remember, I was in the house and it looked like a storm went through it…I was calling your name…" He rubbed his head. "Danny was…wait, where is Danny?"

"Right here, Mike." The young man was standing with Hannah, who was watching him like she expected him to fall over at any moment. But Danny seemed mobile enough, wandering over to them with the girl in tow. He stumbled slightly and Hannah slid an arm around his waist.

"Careful. You've lost some blood." Mike glanced down, seeing the red cloth wrapped around Danny's hand. The memory came back to him, unable to do anything but watch as the henchman slammed the knife home through Danny's hand. After that one image, it was as if the flood gates opened, and Mike was slammed with memories. What had happened after he'd passed out in the living room, being kidnapped, and the rescue mission. But that wasn't all. Images of a dark dreadlocked man were interwoven with the others, a man who very closely resembled Mike. He glanced over at Nina, taking a deep breath.

"It was our past lives." She looked at him strangely. "We…I don't know, we were someone else, but then again, we were ourselves…" He could see by her facial expression that he was confusing her. "I was Captain Jack Sparrow." He said finally, as if it explained everything. "Our ancestors came back for this one final battle." Nina squeezed his shoulder.

"Mike, you're very tired and not making a lot of sense." She told him in concern. He turned, taking her by the shoulders.

"No, think about it." He stared into her eyes. "Remember Anamaria…"

"Mike, that's my middle name." She told him quietly. She looked straight back at him. "I don't remember what you're…" She trailed off when her thoughts wandered back to the dining room when Mike and Danny had been brought in. The strange look in Mike's eyes, his odd accent, and the feelings that had risen up in her. Then just as it did in Mike, the memories came upon her. Being dragged away from him, shouting his name. But it hadn't been Mike that she'd shouted. It had been Jack. The fight in the caves, and then flashing back to the days of piracy. She remembered it all.

"Jack…" She tapped a finger on Mike's chest. "Mike, your middle name is Jack." She said quietly. "This was no accident. This was meant to happen." She glanced over at Danny, as did Mike.

"And of course, Daniel William Turner." Nina looked back to Mike. "We were here to help our ancestors find their peace." Mike stared at the wall, finally understanding.

"Yeah, we were." He told her. He broke his gaze and looked down at her. After a few moments of comfortable silence, he broke away. "A trip to the hospital might be in order. I think Jack might have broken a few of my ribs."

"Hold on." Danny went over to the cutlass lying against the rock he'd dropped it against. With his foot, he flipped it up into his hand. "I want to take this home with…" He stopped as he saw their looks. "What?"

"When the hell did you learn to do that?" Mike said. 

Danny shrugged, sliding the cutlass in his belt. But he hadn't taken on all of Will's grace with a blade. The sharp edge cut through the thin leather belt and the cutlass clattered to the cave floor. Mike covered up his mouth, trying not to smile at the younger man's misfortune. Danny snatched up the blade in his good hand again, pointing it at Mike. "Don't you even start."

Mike put up his hands. "I won't, I won't." He said, losing the battle and finally grinning. "Let's just get out of here."

A low rumble echoed across the dark horizon as white tendrils of lightning burst through the clouds, racing towards the earth. Waves lapped against the beach, and the wind had died off. The dark clouds threatened to burst with rain. A storm of good size was coming to the island.

Danny had been determined to take Chico out for a run before he had to shut the horse up in his stall while the storm struck. He felt back for having neglected the horse for the past couple of weeks, but he though he had a good excuse. Another bolt of lightning streaked in the sky, dancing off the golden wedding ring around his finger. A month after the adventure, he had proposed to Hannah, and she had happily accepted. Three months later they'd had their simple little wedding. And just last night, the happy couple had been gifted with a healthy baby girl. Nina was ecstatic that there would be another child around while Mike had been completely lost with the thought that he was going to be a grandfather at his age. He and Hannah had yet to name the little girl though. They hadn't found a name that they felt suited her.

He gave the horse another nudge in the ribs, and Chico sped up, stretching his long legs as he sped across the wet sand. Nina had insisted he go home and take a nap before coming back to the hospital. Somehow Danny had managed to go three days without sleep, and still he couldn't. So he'd taken Chico out for a ride across the beach before going back to the hospital.

Suddenly the horse stopped, planting his feet in the sand and dropping his head. Danny, in his own little world of thought, snapped out of it to late and was sent flying over the horse's head and crashing into the sand. He groaned and rolled over, staring up at the horse.

"What the hell did you do that for?" He said as he climbed to his feet, brushing off his jeans. The horse didn't react, staring beyond Danny. He reached down and grabbed the horse's reins, ready to remount when he heard something. Listening harder in the silence before the storm, he heard laughter. The laughter of a small child. Chico let out a nearly silent snort, still not moving. Danny turned around, and his breath caught in his chest.

A young, dark headed girl, maybe around four or five, ran down the beach towards the water. Her simple blue dress dragged through the sand as she ran, laughing.

"Emma!" Danny's head whipped towards the voice, a voice very similar to his own. He watched as the dark haired young man came jogging down onto the beach, padding bare footed after his daughter. The little girl turned, smiling at him. 

"Daddy, look! Uncle Jack is coming!" She pointed out to the horizon, where a rather imposing ship with black sails could be seen on the horizon. Danny knew the name of the ship. It was the infamous Black Pearl. He stood as still as Chico, watching the scene. Soon after, a fair haired young woman joined the man. Emma ran back to them and was scooped up by the man. _I know who that is!_ Danny had seen his memories for months after the defeat of Jonas Smythe. It had to be William Turner and his love Elizabeth. It was the ghosts of the past, or if he remember correctly, something that had never come to pass, but should have. 

"Uncle Jack!" The little girl in Will's arms shouted, stretching out her arms. The pirate had appeared in the scene, taking the girl from Will's arms. The female pirate behind him smiled, greeting the happy couple. Emma giggled happily, putting her arms around the neck of the man who could only be Captain Jack Sparrow and kissing him on the cheek. Elizabeth covered up her mouth while Anamaria laughed out loud.

In the middle of the tableau, Will turned towards Danny. A grateful smile crossed his face as he looked at the man who would be his descendant. "Thank you." He said. Two simple words expressed his gratitude more than any long winded speech ever could have. Danny smiled in return and nodded.

Then they were gone, as the rain started to fall. Danny stared at the empty spot for a moment before mounting back up on Chico and giving him a nudge with his heels. The horse leapt forward, heading for home.

Hannah opened her eyes groggily as she heard the squeak of wet sneaker souls against the waxed floor outside. The door of the room opened, and her husband came in, soaking wet. She frowned as she looked him over.

"Were you out playing in the rain?" She asked with an amused sparkle in her eyes. In the next bed over, Mike raised his head, looking over his shoulder. Nina lay curled up in his arms, sleeping away.

"Oh, it's just you." He muttered fuzzily and put his head back down. Danny went over to Hannah's bedside, pulling up a chair. She reached out and brushed a wet curl from his eyes.

"You look excited about something."

"Emma Marie Turner." He blurted out. Hannah rolled the name around in her mouth, saying it over and over.

"Emma Marie…Danny, its perfect." She said quietly, putting a hand on his. "Emma Marie…"

"I had a little bit of help with the name." He told her, but didn't say where the help had come from. Hannah still hadn't quite accepted that Danny had been Will for a little while the night they had come to rescue her. She reached over and buzzed the nurse, asking to see her daughter.

A moment later, a nurse entered the room, carrying a small pink bundle. Hannah held out her hands for the child, as Danny was soaking wet. She took the child in her arms, and Danny stood up beside her. The baby lay still, sleeping. Already Hannah could tell that she was going to resemble her father. "She does look like an Emma Marie…" She said quietly.

He nodded. "That she does." It was the perfect moment. Mike and Nina curled up on the hospital bed in each other's arms, and there he stood, with his beautiful wife and daughter. He sat down in the chair, leaning back with a content smile on his face. Mike and Nina had each other, and Danny had gotten the family that Will had never had the chance to have. The past had woven itself into their futures.

Life had gone on.


End file.
